LIP, n. [L. labium, labrum.] 1. The edge or border of the mouth. The lips are two fleshy or muscular parts, composing the exterior of the mouth in man and many other animals. In man, the lips, which may be opened or closed at pleasure, form the covering of the teeth, and are organs of speech essential to certain articulations. Hence the lips, by a figure, denote the mouth, or all the organs of speech, and sometimes speech itself. Job 2. 2. The edge of any thing; as the lip of a vessel. 3. In botany, one of the two opposite divisions of a labiate corol. The upper is called the helmet, and the lower the beard. Also, an appendage to the flowers of the orchises, considered by Linne as a nectary. To make a lip, to drop the under lip in sullenness or contempt. LIP, v.t. To kiss.
n 1: either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking 2: (botany) either of the two parts of a bilabiate corolla or calyx 3: an impudent or insolent rejoinder; "don't give me any of your sass" [syn: sass, sassing, backtalk, back talk, lip, mouth] 4: the top edge of a vessel or other container [syn: brim, rim, lip] 5: either the outer margin or the inner margin of the aperture of a gastropod's shell
I. nounEtymology: Middle English, from Old English lippa; akin to Old High German leffur lip and probably to Latin labium, labrum lip Date: before 12th century 1. either of two fleshy folds that surround the mouth in humans and many other vertebrates and are organs of human speech essential to certain articulations; also the red or pinkish margin of the human lip 2.slangback talk3.a. a fleshy edge or margin (as of a wound) b.labiumc.labellum 1 d. a limb of a labiate corolla 4.a. the edge of a hollow vessel or cavity b. a projecting edge: as (1) the beveled upper edge of the mouth of an organ flue pipe (2) the sharp cutting edge on the end of a tool (as an auger) (3) a short spout (as on a pitcher) c.edge 2 5.embouchure • liplessadjective • liplikeadjectiveII. adjectiveDate: 1558 1.insincere<lip praise> 2. produced with the participation of the lips ;labial<lip consonants> III. verb (lipped; lipping) Date: 1589 transitive verb1. to touch with the lips; especiallykiss2.utter3. to lap against ;lick4. to hit (a putt) so that the ball hits the edge of the cup but fails to drop in — usually used with outintransitive verb to hit the edge of the cup without dropping in — used with out<the putt lipped out>
n. & v. --n. 1 a either of the two fleshy parts forming the edges of the mouth-opening. b a thing resembling these. c = LABIUM. 2 the edge of a cup, vessel, etc., esp. the part shaped for pouring from. 3 colloq. impudent talk (that's enough of your lip!). --v.tr. (lipped, lipping) 1 a touch with the lips; apply the lips to. b touch lightly. 2 Golf a hit a ball just to the edge of (a hole). b (of a ball) reach the edge of (a hole) but fail to drop in. Phrases and idioms: bite one's lip repress an emotion; stifle laughter, a retort, etc. curl one's lip express scorn. hang on a person's lips listen attentively to a person. lick one's lips see LICK. lip-read (past and past part. -read) (esp. of a deaf person) understand (speech) entirely from observing a speaker's lip-movements. lip-reader a person who lip-reads. lip-service an insincere expression of support etc. pass a person's lips be eaten, drunk, spoken, etc. smack one's lips part the lips noisily in relish or anticipation, esp. of food. Derivatives: lipless adj. liplike adj. lipped adj. (also in comb.). Etymology: OE lippa f. Gmc
Lip Lip (l[i^]p), n. [OE. lippe, AS. lippa; akin to D. lip, G. lippe, lefze, OHG. lefs, Dan. l[ae]be, Sw. l["a]pp, L. labium, labrum. Cf. Labial.] 1. One of the two fleshy folds which surround the orifice of the mouth in man and many other animals. In man the lips are organs of speech essential to certain articulations. Hence, by a figure they denote the mouth, or all the organs of speech, and sometimes speech itself. Thine own lips testify against thee. --Job xv. 6. 2. An edge of an opening; a thin projecting part of anything; a kind of short open spout; as, the lip of a vessel. 3. The sharp cutting edge on the end of an auger. 4. (Bot.) (a) One of the two opposite divisions of a labiate corolla. (b) The odd and peculiar petal in the Orchis family. See Orchidaceous. 5. (Zo["o]l.) One of the edges of the aperture of a univalve shell. Lip bit, a pod auger. See Auger. Lip comfort, comfort that is given with words only. Lip comforter, one who comforts with words only. Lip labor, unfelt or insincere speech; hypocrisy. --Bale. Lip reading, the catching of the words or meaning of one speaking by watching the motion of his lips without hearing his voice. --Carpenter. Lip salve, a salve for sore lips. Lip service, expression by the lips of obedience and devotion without the performance of acts suitable to such sentiments. Lip wisdom, wise talk without practice, or unsupported by experience. Lip work. (a) Talk. (b) Kissing. [Humorous] --B. Jonson. To make a lip, to drop the under lip in sullenness or contempt. --Shak. To shoot out the lip (Script.), to show contempt by protruding the lip.
Lip Lip, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Lipped (l[i^]pt); p. pr. & vb. n. Lipping (-p[i^]ng).] 1. To touch with the lips; to put the lips to; hence, to kiss. The bubble on the wine which breaks Before you lip the glass. --Praed. A hand that kings Have lipped and trembled kissing. --Shak. 2. To utter; to speak. [R.] --Keats.
(lips)Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. Your lips are the two outer parts of the edge of your mouth. Wade stuck the cigarette between his lips.N-COUNT: usu pl, oft poss N 2. The lip of something such as a container or a high area of land is its edge. ...the lip of the jug....the lip of Mount Etna's smouldering crater.= rim N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N of n 3. If you lick your lips, you move your tongue across your lips as you think about or taste something pleasant. They licked their lips in anticipation...We swallowed the chocolates in one gulp, licking our lips.PHRASE: V inflects
besides its literal sense (Isa. 37:29, etc.), is used in the original (saphah) metaphorically for an edge or border, as of a cup (1 Kings 7:26), a garment (Ex. 28:32), a curtain (26:4), the sea (Gen. 22:17), the Jordan (2 Kings 2:13). To "open the lips" is to begin to speak (Job 11:5); to "refrain the lips" is to keep silence (Ps. 40:9; 1 Pet. 3:10). The "fruit of the lips" (Heb. 13:15) is praise, and the "calves of the lips" thank-offerings (Hos. 14:2). To "shoot out the lip" is to manifest scorn and defiance (Ps. 22:7). Many similar forms of expression are found in Scripture.
(saphah, sepheth, "lip," "language," "speech," "talk" (also "rim," "border," "shore," "bank," etc.), sapham, "(upper) lip," "moustache," "beard"; cheilos, "lip" (also once, "shore" in the quotation Heb 11:12 equals Ge 22:17)):
(1) Lips stand in oriental idiom for speech or language, like "mouth," "tongue"; therefore they stand in parallelism. "The lip of truth shall be established for ever; but a lying tongue is but for a moment" (Pr 12:19). "To shoot out the lip" (Ps 22:7) means to make a mocking, contemptuous, scornful face. As the lips are the chief instrument of speech, we find numerous idiomatic phrases for "speaking," such as: "the utterance of the lips" (Nu 30:6,8), "to proceed out of the lips" (Nu 30:12), "to open the lips" (Job 32:20), "to go out of the lips" (Ps 17:1). These expressions do not convey, as a rule, the idea that the utterance proceeds merely out of the lips, and that it lacks sincerity and the consent of the heart, but occasionally this is intended, e.g. "This people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me" (Isa 29:13; compare Mt 15:8). The "fruit of the lips" (Isa 57:19 equals Heb 13:15) and "calves of the lips" (Ho 14:2 the King James Version) designate the praise and thanksgiving due to God. "Fervent (the King James Version "burning") lips" (Pr 26:23) are synonymous with eloquence. "To refrain the lips" (Ps 40:9; Pr 10:19) means to keep silence, where the godless or unwise would wish to assert his rights.
Numerous other expressions need no further explanation, such as "perverse lips" (Pr 4:24), "uncircumcised lips" (Ex 6:12,30), "feigned lips" (Ps 17:1), "lying lips" (Ps 31:18; Pr 10:18; 12:22), "wicked (or false) lips" (Pr 17:4), "unclean lips" (Isa 6:5), "strange (the King James Version "stammering") lips" (Isa 28:11), "flattering lips" (Ps 12:2,3; Pr 7:21), "righteous lips" (Pr 16:13).
(2) The Hebrew word sapham is found only in the phrase "to cover the lip or lips," which is an expression of mourning, submission and shame. The Oriental covers his lips with his hand or a portion of his garment, when he has been sunk into deep grief and sorrow. He expresses, thereby, that he cannot open his mouth at the visitation of God. Differently, however, from common mourners, Ezekiel was forbidden of God "to cover his lips" (Eze 24:17; see also Eze 24:22), i.e. to mourn in the usual way over Israel's downfall, as Israel had brought these judgments upon himself. The leper, victim of an incurable disease, walks about with rent clothes and hair disheveled, covering his lips, crying: "Unclean, unclean!" (Le 13:45). The thought here is that even the breath of such a one may defile. The prophet calls upon all seers and diviners, to whom God has refused the knowledge of the future, to cover their lips in shame and confusion (Mic 3:7).