La"bi*al (?), a. [LL. labialis,
fr. L. labium lip: cf. F. labial. See Lip.]
1. Of or pertaining to the lips or labia; as,
labial veins.
2. (Mus.) Furnished with lips; as, a
labial organ pipe.
3. (Phonetics) (a)
Articulated, as a consonant, mainly by the lips, as b, p, m,
w. (b) Modified, as a vowel, by
contraction of the lip opening, as &oomac; (f&oomac;d), ō
(ōld), etc., and as eu and u in French, and
ö, ü in German. See Guide to Pronunciation,
§§ 11, 178.
4. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to
the labium; as, the labial palpi of insects. See
Labium.
La"bi*al, n. 1.
(Phonetics) A letter or character representing an
articulation or sound formed or uttered chiefly with the lips, as
b, p, w.
2. (Mus.) An organ pipe that is
furnished with lips; a flue pipe.
3. (Zoöl.) One of the scales
which border the mouth of a fish or reptile.
