lisp

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The act or a habit of lisping.
verb
  1. To pronounce the consonant ‘s’ imperfectly; to give ‘s’ and ‘z’ the sounds of ‘th’ (/θ/, /ð/). This is a speech impediment common among children.
  2. To speak with imperfect articulation; to mispronounce, such as a child learning to talk.
  3. To speak hesitatingly and with a low voice, as if afraid.
  4. to express by the use of simple, childlike language.
  5. To speak with reserve or concealment; to utter timidly or confidentially.
name
  1. A functional programming language with a distinctive parenthesized syntax, much used in artificial intelligence.
name
  1. Alternative form of Lisp.

Pronunciation

/lɪsp/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-lisp.wav /lɪθp/ /lɪl͡sp/

Word forms

lisp lisps lipsey lithp lisping lisped

Etymology

From Middle English lispen, lipsen, wlispen, from Old English *wlispian (attested in āwlyspian (“to lisp”)), from Old English wlisp, wlips (“stammering, lisping”, adjective), from Proto-Germanic *wlispaz (“lisping”), from Proto-Indo-European *wlis-, *wleys- (“rod”), from *wel- (“to turn, roll”). Cognate with Middle Low German wlispen (“to lisp”), Dutch lispen (“to lisp”), German lispeln (“to lisp”), Danish læspe (“to lisp”), Swedish läspa (“to lisp”).

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