LIP (lipped, lipping)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: lipped    , lipping   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does lip mean? 

• LIP (noun)
  The noun LIP has 5 senses:

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

4. the top edge of a vessel or other container

5. either the outer margin or the inner margin of the aperture of a gastropod's shell

  Familiarity information: LIP used as a noun is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• LIP (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("lip" is a kind of...):

external body part (any body part visible externally)

articulator (a movable speech organ)

Meronyms (parts of "lip"):

arteria labialis; labial artery (an artery that is a branch of the facial artery that supplies the lips of the mouth)

labial vein; vena labialis (a vein draining the lips of the mouth)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lip"):

overlip (the upper lip)

underlip (the lower lip)

Holonyms ("lip" is a part of...):

mouth (the externally visible part of the oral cavity on the face and the system of organs surrounding the opening)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(botany) either of the two parts of a bilabiate corolla or calyx

Classified under:

Nouns denoting plants

Hypernyms ("lip" is a kind of...):

plant part; plant structure (any part of a plant or fungus)

Domain category:

botany; phytology (the branch of biology that studies plants)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An impudent or insolent rejoinder

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

back talk; backtalk; lip; mouth; sass; sassing

Context example:

don't give me any of your sass

Hypernyms ("lip" is a kind of...):

comeback; counter; rejoinder; replication; retort; return; riposte (a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one))

Sense 4

Meaning:

The top edge of a vessel or other container

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

brim; lip; rim

Hypernyms ("lip" is a kind of...):

edge (a sharp side formed by the intersection of two surfaces of an object)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lip"):

collar; shoe collar (the stitching that forms the rim of a shoe or boot)

Holonyms ("lip" is a part of...):

vessel (an object used as a container (especially for liquids))

Sense 5

Meaning:

Either the outer margin or the inner margin of the aperture of a gastropod's shell

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("lip" is a kind of...):

border; margin; perimeter (the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary)

 Context examples 

Buck writhed his lips into the preliminary of a snarl, but sniffed noses with him, Whereupon the old wolf sat down, pointed nose at the moon, and broke out the long wolf howl.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

A non-neoplastic disorder that affects the oral cavity or the lips.

(Non-Neoplastic Oral Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

A non-neoplastic disorder that affects the lips.

(Non-Neoplastic Lip Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

All three had brilliant white teeth that shone like pearls against the ruby of their voluptuous lips.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Frequent sun exposure is also a risk for lip cancer.

(Oral Cancer, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

A premalignant pathologic process that affects the mucosa surface of the oral cavity or lip.

(Oral Cavity and Lip Precancerous Condition, NCI Thesaurus)

“What a remarkable scar that is upon her lip!” I said.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

They were the lips of a fighter and of a lover.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

A benign or malignant neoplasm involving the oral cavity and/or the lips.

(Oral Neoplasm, NCI Thesaurus)

A non-neoplastic or neoplastic disorder that affects the oral cavity or the lips.

(Oral Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)