Etymograph

English

labial

Labial comes from Medieval Latin labiālis ‘of or pertaining to the lips’, from Latin labium ‘a lip’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *leb- ‘to hang down loosely’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leb-1‘to hang down loosely’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*l̥b-yóm1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*labjom1reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElabium1‘a lip’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500labiālis1‘of or pertaining to the lips’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1670labial1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English labial
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1670, Francis Bacon, Sylva sylvarum : or: “The motions of the Tongue, Lips, Throat, Palate, &…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*leb-Wiktionary, English labial‘to hang down loosely’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*l̥b-yómWiktionary, English labialreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*labjomWiktionary, English labialreconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElabiumWiktionary, English labial‘a lip’
  5. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500labiālisWiktionary, English labial‘of or pertaining to the lips’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1670labialWiktionary, English labial. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1670, Francis Bacon, Sylva sylvarum : or: “The motions of the Tongue, Lips, Throat, Palate, &…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *leb- ‘to hang down loosely’

lip, label, lap, limp, limbo, lobe, lave, labrum, 14 more

through Latin labium ‘a lip’

la, 6 more

Today it means

adj Of or pertaining to the lips or labia.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “labial”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *leb- / labial

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