harelip

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   dated and sometimes offensive: a cleft lip, a congenital opening or split in the upper lip

   Modern medical writing uses cleft lip rather than the dated term harelip.

2. 2
   noun

   historical and offensive: a dehumanizing label for a person who has a cleft lip

   The novel repeatedly uses harelip as a label for a girl, reflecting the period's insensitive language.

A compound of hare + lip, based on an old and mistaken comparison between a congenital cleft lip and the divided upper lip of a hare. Cleft lip is the current neutral medical term; harelip is dated and can be offensive, especially when applied to a person.

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