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"lip" in seven languages

Meaninglip

Spanish

labio

/ˈlabjo/

masc.other source · Latin LABIUM 'lip' (learned)

French

lèvre

/lɛvʁ/

fem.inherited

Italian

labbro

/ˈlabbro/

masc.inherited

plural: labbra (f)

Portuguese

lábio

/ˈlabju/

masc.other source · Latin LABIUM 'lip' (learned)

Romanian

buză

/ˈbuzə/

fem.other source · of uncertain origin, probably pre-Latin

plural: buze

Catalan

llavi

/ˈʎabi/

masc.other source · Latin LABIUM 'lip'

English

lip

/lɪp/

native English · Old English lippa

English → ItalianliplabbroNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: labial.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

LABRUM (pl. LABRA)‘lip’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

French lèvre comes from the plural LABRA, read as a feminine singular (free a → è, b → v). Italian keeps the neuter plural as le labbra. Spanish labio is the learned near-synonym LABIUM.

English relatives: labial

Sound laws at work

French stressed free A becomes e

Learn it

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In a sentence

  • esTiene los labios rojos.
  • frElle a les lèvres rouges.
  • itHa le labbra rosse.
  • ptEla tem os lábios vermelhos.
  • roAre buzele roșii.
  • caTé els llavis vermells.
  • enHer lips are red.

More in The body

All The body words