lip

Meanings

Noun

• Either of the two fleshy protrusions around the opening of the mouth.
• A part of the body that resembles a lip, such as the edge of a wound or the labia.
• The projecting rim of an open container; a short open spout.
• Backtalk; verbal impertinence.
• The edge of a high spot of land.
• The sharp cutting edge on the end of an auger.
• One of the two opposite divisions of a labiate corolla.
• The distinctive petal of the Orchis family.
• One of the edges of the aperture of a univalve shell.
• Embouchure: the condition or strength of a wind instrumentalist's lips.

Verb

• To touch or grasp with the lips; to kiss; to lap the lips against (something).
• (of something inanimate) To touch lightly.
• To wash against a surface, lap.
• To rise or flow up to or over the edge of something.
• To form the rim, edge or margin of something.
• To utter verbally.
• To simulate speech by moving the lips without making any sound; to mouth.
• To make a golf ball hit the lip of the cup, without dropping in.
• To change the sound of (a musical note played on a wind instrument) by moving or tensing the lips.

Origin

• From Middle English lippe, from Old English lippa, lippe, from Proto-West Germanic *lippjō ("lip"), from Proto-Germanic *lepô, from Proto-Indo-European *leb- ("to hang loosely, droop, sag"). Cognate with West Frisian lippe ("lip"), Dutch lip ("lip"), German Lippe and Lefze, Swedish läpp ("lip"), Norwegian leppe ("lip"), Latin labium ("lip").