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labially

labially

9.7
In a way that is toward the lips or the front of a tooth
  • adverb
  • /ˈleɪbiəli/
  • Specialized
: labialmente
  • There are two cusps labially (on the side of the cheek), the paracone and the metacone, and one cusp lingually (on the tongue side), the protocone.

Examples

  • The doctor noted that the sore was located labially on the patient's lower lip.

  • The speech therapist explained how to position the tongue labially to create the correct sound.

  • When producing the letter 'B', the lips should come together labially before releasing the sound.

Surface Forms

labially positive

Morphology

labially = labial (semi-transparent) = labial + ly

Formed regularly from the adjective 'labial' with '-ly', but 'labial' is a technical term derived from Latin and may be unfamiliar to many learners.

Etymology

Labially comes from the Latin labium meaning 'lip', and the ending -ly shows it means 'in a way'. So, to move something labially is to move it toward the lips or on the lip side.