lisp
The act or a habit of lisping.
Noun
- The act or a habit of lisping.
- He used to have a terrible lisp before going to a speech therapist.
- It's common for children to speak with a lisp.
Origin
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”).
Forms
Derived
Verb
- 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.
- Until the age of 10, Dominic would lisp, but this was fixed by a speech therapist.
- To speak with imperfect articulation; to mispronounce, such as a child learning to talk.
- As yet a Child, nor yet a Fool to Fame, / I liſp'd in Numbers, for the Numbers came. - 1735 January 13 (Gregorian calendar; indicated as 1734), [Alexander] Pope, An Epistle from Mr. Pope, to Dr. Arbuthnot, London: […]...
- To speak hesitatingly and with a low voice, as if afraid.
- Lest when my lisping, guilty tongue should halt. - 1597, Michaell [i.e., Michael] Drayton, “(please specify the chapter, poem, or subtitle)”, in Englands Heroicall Epistles, London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas]...
- to express by the use of simple, childlike language.
- But the fashion spreads deeper and wider; the village is infected and the village green; Amelias and Claras sweep your rooms and cook your dinners, gentle Sophias milk your cows, and if you ask a pretty smiling girl at...
- to speak unto them after their own capacity, and to lisp the words unto them , according as the babes and children of that age might sound them againagain - 1848, Henry Walter, editor, Doctrinal Treatises and...
- To speak with reserve or concealment; to utter timidly or confidentially.
- to lisp treason
- "You have done well, sir," said Delwood, calmly, as he placed double the amount of Mrs. Santon's bribe in the Signor's hand; "you have done well, sir; and mark my words,—gold can never relieve a guilty conscience! Go,...