WordGarden.iolabial
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /lˈeɪbɪəl/
US
Meanings
Adjective
relating to the lips
articulated with one or both lips
Noun
a labial speech sound or consonant
Beyond the definition
The word "labial" comes from the Latin labium, meaning "lip." It describes anything connected with the lips. You may see it in medicine when people talk about the lips or the area around them, and you may also hear it in phonetics when describing speech sounds made with the lips. For example, sounds like "p," "b," and "m" are labial sounds because the lips help form them. The word can also describe something that looks like lips in shape.
So if a doctor describes part of the mouth, or a language teacher talks about how a sound is made, this word points back to the lips.
"Labial" has its roots in anatomy and language study. At its core, it means "relating to the lips," but it can be used in a few different ways depending on the subject.
In anatomy, it refers to structures connected to or near the lips. Doctors and dentists may use it when talking about the lips themselves or nearby tissue. In this setting, the word is mostly technical, but the idea is simple: it tells you that something has to do with the lips.
The word is also very common in phonetics, the study of speech sounds. A labial sound is one made with help from the lips. Sounds like /p/, /b/, and /m/ are clear examples because the lips come together to produce them. Some other sounds also involve the lips in different ways. If you say these sounds out loud, you can feel how important lip movement is.
Beyond science, it can also be used descriptively for something that has the form or shape of lips, though this use is less common. In that sense, the word still keeps the same basic picture in mind.
So whether you are discussing the body, the way speech is formed, or the shape of something, "labial" always leads back to one main idea: it has to do with the lips.
Examples
- 1
Speech sounds
In English, /p/, /b/, and /m/ are common labial sounds.
- 2
Child speech
Some children have trouble producing labials clearly when they first learn to talk.
- 3
Dental anatomy
The dentist noticed a small chip on the labial surface of the front tooth.
See also
Forms and spellings
2 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- labialnounadjective
Forms
- labialspluralnounadjective