Harelip
/ˈhɛə.rɪp/noun
An outdated term for a congenital split in the upper lip, now usually called a cleft lip.
Did you know?The term is considered offensive today because it reduces a medical condition to a slur-like animal comparison, and modern medicine prefers cleft lip.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hara
“hare”
Old English
OE
lippa
“lip”
Middle English
ME
hare-lippe
“a split or cleft lip, likened to a hare’s upper lip”
16th Century
English
harelip
“a person born with a cleft lip”
Modern English
English
harelip
“an outdated, offensive term for cleft lip”