Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Yesterday's Word

Archives

FAQ


This week's theme
Yours to discover

This week's words
scintillescent
vetitive
rapparee
bilabial
froufrou

Spread the joy of word
Send a gift subscription
It's quick and easy.
Discuss
Feedback
RSS/XML

A.Word.A.Day--bilabial

Pronunciation Sound Clip RealAudio

This week's theme: yours to discover.

bilabial (by-LAY-bee-uhl) adjective

Using both lips.

noun

A bilabial sound or consonant, for example p, b, m, where both lips touch each other, and w in which lips are rounded.

[Latin bi- (two) + labial, from labium (lip), ultimately from Indo-European root leb- (lip, to lick) that's also the source of lip, labrose (having thick or large lips), and labret (an ornament worn in a pierced lip).]

See more usage examples of bilabial in Vocabulary.com's dictionary.

-Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org)

"Bilabial sounds like mamma, papa and baba are probably the easiest for the infant mouth to master." Jack Rosenthal; From Arf to Zap; The New York Times; Jun 30, 1985.

X-Bonus

Religion--freedom--vengeance--what you will, A word's enough to raise mankind to kill. -Lord Byron, poet (1788-1824)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith