lip

Plurallips

Formslips, lipping, lipped

1. 1
   mouth edgenouncountable

   Either of the two fleshy folds that surround the opening of the mouth.

   A cold sore formed on her upper lip overnight.

   The baby's lips parted into a wide, gummy smile.

   UsageCommon phrases: bite your lip, lick your lips, read someone's lips.

   Note

   The King James Bible of 1611 has "thine owne lippes" testifying against the person addressed, so the lips already stand for speech itself. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • The King James Bible was published in 1611. en.wikipedia.org
   • The 1611 text contains the exact words 'thine owne lippes'. en.wiktionary.org
   • The passage uses lips to represent a person's speech. en.wikisource.org
2. 2
   top edgenouncountable

   The projecting edge or rim of something hollow or raised, such as a jug, cup, crater, or cliff; also, a short spout for pouring.

   Cream ran over the lip of the pitcher and onto the table.

   A casting flaw left a rough lip on the bronze bell.

   UsageUsually the lip of something, often over the lip of a jug, cup or bottle.

   Similarrim, edge, brim, spout

   Note

   Here the mouth's edge is borrowed for objects such as a pitcher, a bell or a bottle. Rim and edge can name any border. Lip suggests one that juts out or is shaped for pouring, which is why it also names a short open spout. Sally Rooney's Normal People (2018) has wine foaming "over the lip of the bottle", the typical over-the-lip construction. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

   • The object-edge sense extends the anatomical sense of lip. en.wiktionary.org
   • Sally Rooney wrote Normal People. en.wikipedia.org
   • Normal People was first published in 2018. cdn.waterstones.com
   • The novel's narration describes sparkling wine spilling over the bottle's lip and contains the exact quoted wording. marul.ffst.hr
3. 3
   speak silentlyverbtransitive

   To form words with the lips while making no sound; to mouth.

   Across the crowded room, my sister lipped "let's go" and nodded toward the door.

   Not wanting to wake the baby, she paused to lip 'goodnight' from the doorway, then eased the door shut.

   UsageMouth is the everyday word for this: mouth the words.

   Similarmouth, mime

   Note

   The silent counterpart of speaking aloud: the lips move, but nothing is heard. Thomas Hardy's The Woodlanders still adds "silently" to make the point. Cyril Dabydeen has a reader "lipping the words" as he goes. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

   • Thomas Hardy wrote The Woodlanders. gutenberg.org
   • The Woodlanders explicitly uses 'silently' with 'lipped'. gutenberg.org
   • Cyril Dabydeen describes someone reading while 'lipping the words'. en.wiktionary.org
4. 4
   flesh bordernouncountable

   A fleshy edge or fold on the body that resembles the lip of the mouth, such as the margin of a wound or the labia.

   The surgeon drew the lips of the incision together with fine sutures.

   Each lip of the wound had to be cleaned before stitching.

   Similaredge, margin

5. 5
   makeupnouncolloquialcountable or uncountableabbreviationclipping

   Short for lipstick: colored cosmetic for the lips, or a particular shade or look of it.

   A bold lip can pull a whole look together.

   She finished the look with a swipe of nude lip.

   UsageUsually with a color or finish and often no article: a bold lip, red lip, nude lip.

   Note

   A beauty-counter clipping of lipstick that keeps only the makeup meaning, none of lipstick's slang senses. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • Lip is a clipping of lipstick in the makeup sense. en.wiktionary.org
6. 6
   shell openingnouncountable or uncountable

   Either edge bordering the aperture of a single-shelled mollusk's shell.

   In adult cowries, the lip curls inward and bears a row of fine teeth.

   Collectors prize shells whose outer lip remains unchipped.

   Note

   Shell collectors speak of two lips around the opening of a coiled, single-valved shell. The outer lip is the growing edge of the body whorl. The inner lip lines the columellar side, toward the shell's central axis. A thickened outer lip often signals that the shell has reached maturity, which is one reason its condition matters to collectors. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

   • The aperture has outer and inner lips; the outer lip is the growing margin, while the inner lip faces the shell's axis. digitalatlasofancientlife.org
   • A thickened outer lip often indicates maturity. en.wikipedia.org
   • Lip condition and maturity matter when collectors assess shells. conchologistsofamerica.org
7. 7
   orchid petalnouncountable or uncountable

   A lip-shaped part of a flower, such as the distinctive lower petal of an orchid or either part of a two-lipped corolla.

   The orchid's lip flared into a frilled, brightly marked landing platform for pollinators.

   Botanists identify many orchids by the shape and color of the lip.

   Note

   Orchids reserve the word for one petal. Of the three true petals, the middle one is modified into the lip, or labellum. It usually differs from the two side petals in shape, size and color, and it often works to attract and guide pollinators. Because it is so distinctive, its form and markings are among the first features used to tell orchids apart. Source

   Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

   • An orchid has three petals, with the middle petal forming the lip or labellum. nzpcn.org.nz
   • The lip usually differs from the other petals; in sun orchids (Thelymitra), it is only slightly differentiated. eflora.sydney.edu.au
   • The lip often attracts pollinators, but this function belongs to the column in Thelymitra. anbg.gov.au
   • The lip can guide pollinators. longwoodgardens.org
   • The distinctive lip is an important early feature in orchid identification. plantlife.org.uk

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