lip
part of speech
noun (a lip, lips)
meaning for a pupil
1) Your lips are the two soft edges around your mouth. tree →
2) The lip of something, like a jug, cup or cliff, is its edge or rim. tree →
3) Informally, «lip» means rude talk: don't give me any lip. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: "Uncircumcised lips" is Moses' way of saying his speech was hard or not ready, and "utterance of her lips" means what a person says in a vow. In Psalms and Proverbs the lips stand for a person's speech, as in lips that give honest answers, lips that guard against guile, or lips that utter praise. Interpretation: Tradition teaches that a spoken vow binds a person, so one must be careful with words. Moses' words were read as a sign of humility. The rabbis also teach that one must guard the tongue and lips from evil speech and use them to praise God. In the primary lessons: In science lips help you eat, speak and make sounds like «p», «b» and «m»; lips have lots of nerves and feel things easily. In health lessons lips can get chapped (dry and cracked) in cold or windy weather, and lip balm helps; lips swelling suddenly can be a sign of an allergy. In stories a trembling lip shows someone is about to cry; biting your lip shows you are holding back words. Phrases: lip balm, bite your lip, read someone's lips, my lips are sealed (I'll keep a secret), stiff upper lip.
examples
- And Moses said before the LORD: 'Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?' (Torah EXO.6.30, JPS 1917) tree →
- And if she be married to a husband, while her vows are upon her, or the clear utterance of her lips, wherewith she hath bound her soul; (Torah NUM.30.6, JPS 1917) tree →
- And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying: 'Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?' (Torah EXO.6.12, JPS 1917) tree →
- He kisseth the lips that giveth a right answer. (Writings PRO.24.26, JPS 1917) tree →
- Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. (Writings PSA.34.14, JPS 1917) tree →
- Let my lips utter praise: because Thou teachest me Thy statutes. (Writings PSA.119.171, JPS 1917) tree →
- My lips are dry in the cold wind. tree →
- Put some lip balm on your lips. tree →
- Her bottom lip trembled and she started to cry. tree →
- My lips are sealed; I won't tell anyone about the surprise party. tree →
- Some deaf people can read lips. tree →
- The lip of the jug helps you pour without spilling. tree →
- He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing. tree →
- If your lips swell after eating, tell an adult straight away. tree →
- The cup was placed to Sir Philip's lips. tree →
note
Countable: one lip, two lips (top lip and bottom lip). «Lip-read» or «read lips» means understanding speech by watching the mouth. Do not confuse with «leap» (a big jump). «My lips are sealed» is fine for a nice surprise, but not for unsafe secrets.
In the corpora
- And Moses said before the LORD: 'Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?'
- Sayest thou that a mere word of the lips is counsel and strength for the war?
- For with stammering lips and with a strange tongue shall it be spoken to this people;
- For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue muttereth wickedness.
- And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your upper lips, nor eat the bread of men;
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «lip» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.