Labialised

Part of speech: adjective, verb

Definitions

1. Produced by pronouncing a sound while rounding the lips simultaneously
2. Characterized by the articulation of a phoneme involving lip rounding as part of its production
3. Describes a speech sound modified by the action of rounding the lips during its utterance

Etymology: "Labialised" is the past tense and past participle of "labialise," which means to give a sound lip rounding as part of its production. The verb is built from "labial," from Latin "labialis," itself from "labium," meaning "lip," with the English verb-forming suffix "-ise" (or "-ize") attached. The same "labium" root gives English "labial," a term for sounds made with the lips, such as "p," "b," and "m." The idea behind the word is that a speech sound can be shaped by more than one organ at once. Rounding the lips while producing another sound changes its quality, and phoneticians needed a way to mark that secondary feature. "Labialised" therefore describes a consonant or vowel that carries lip rounding on top of its main articulation, as in the "w" sound of "wit" or the rounded consonants of many languages.

Synonyms: rounded, labialized

Antonyms: unrounded, non-labialized