labellum

English

Etymology

From Latin labellum (“small lip”), diminutive of labrum (“lip”).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ləˈbɛl.əm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛləm

Noun

labellum (plural labella or labellums)

Showy Lady Slipper (Cypripedium reginae) has a pink labellum.

1. The lower central petal of a flower (especially an orchid), usually developed to be showy and attract pollinators.
2. (entomology) Part of the mouth of an insect, especially the sucking mouthparts of a fly.

Synonyms

• lip

Translations

Translations

• Catalan: label (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 唇瓣 (zh)

• Corsican: labellu
• Dutch: labellum, lip (nl)
• Estonian: labellum, huul (et)
• Finnish: labellum (fi), huuli (fi)
• French: labelle (fr) m
• German: Labellum, Lippe (de) f
• Hebrew: שפית
• Italian: labello (it) m, labello (it) m
• Japanese: 唇弁
• Neapolitan: labbiegl
• Polish: warżka
• Portuguese: labelo
• Spanish: labelo (es) m

Latin

Etymology 1

From labrum (“lip”) +‎ -lum (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /laˈbel.lum/, [ɫ̪äˈbɛlːʲʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /laˈbel.lum/, [läˈbɛlːum]

Noun

labellum n (genitive labellī); second declension

1. a (little) lip
   • c. 84 BCE – 54 BCE, Catullus, Carmina 64:

     laneaque aridulis haerebant morsa labellis

     and woolen bits clung to dry lips

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	labellum	labella
Genitive	labellī	labellōrum
Dative	labellō	labellīs
Accusative	labellum	labella
Ablative	labellō	labellīs
Vocative	labellum	labella

Descendants

• → English: labellum
• → Italian: labello

Etymology 2

From lābrum (“basin”) +‎ -lum (diminutive suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /laːˈbel.lum/, [ɫ̪äːˈbɛlːʲʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /laˈbel.lum/, [läˈbɛlːum]

Noun

lābellum n (genitive lābellī); second declension

1. a (small) bowl, basin

Declension

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	lābellum	lābella
Genitive	lābellī	lābellōrum
Dative	lābellō	lābellīs
Accusative	lābellum	lābella
Ablative	lābellō	lābellīs
Vocative	lābellum	lābella

Descendants

• → Proto-West Germanic: *labal (see there for further descendants)

References

• “labellum”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “labellum”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• labellum in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• labellum in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.