Deeper Dive: lip

Lip (lĭp), noun [OE. lippe, AS. lippa; akin to D. lip, G. lippe, lefze, OHG. lefs, Dan. læbe, Sw. läpp, 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. (Zool.) One of the edges of the aperture of a univalve shell.

6. Impudent or abusive talk; as, don’t give me any of your lip. [Slang] Syn. – jaw.

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, transitive verb [imperfect or past participle Lipped (lĭpt); present participle or verbal noun Lipping (-pĭng).]

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.Lip, transitive verb To clip; to trim. [Obs.] Holland.

-- Websters 1913




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