Lip

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /lɪp/

Definitions

1. The fleshy, movable fold of tissue that forms the upper or lower edge of the mouth opening
2. The pliable and muscular tissue surrounding the mouth serves multiple purposes such as speech, eating, and facial expression
3. The outer fold of soft tissue encircling the mouth that facilitates speaking, eating, and various facial expressions

Etymology: The body part "lip" is ancient in English. It comes from Old English "lippa," and the same word is found across the Germanic languages: Dutch "lip," German "Lippe," Swedish "läpp," and Danish "læbe" all descend from the same root. That shared family shows the word was already old when the Germanic peoples spread across northern Europe. The word has a close relative in Latin. Latin "labium" also meant "lip," and the two words are not directly linked by borrowing. Instead, they point back to a common ancestor, which is why the match between a Germanic word and a Latin one is so tidy. English "labial," used for sounds made with the lips, comes straight from the Latin side of the family. The verb sense, as in "to lip" a glass or to say something with the lips, grew out of the body-part noun in the usual way: a part of the body was turned into an action done with that part.

Synonyms: mouth, edge, rim

Antonyms: silence