Labium
/ˈleɪ.bi.əm/noun
A lip or lip-like anatomical part; in botany and zoology, a similar lip-shaped structure.
Did you know?Latin labium is the source of English labial and labiate, and it likely belongs to the same ancient family as lip words across Germanic languages, showing how one simple body part became a technical term in anatomy and grammar.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*lebʰ-
“To hang down, droop; possibly the source of words for a projecting or hanging part.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lepô
“A lip.”
Latin
Latin
labium
“A lip; a lip-like edge or border.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
labialis
“Pertaining to the lips.”
Middle English
English
labial
“Relating to the lips; later used in phonetics for sounds made with the lips.”