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labrum

1 American  
[ley-bruhm, lab-ruhm] / ˈleɪ brəm, ˈlæb rəm /

noun

plural

labra

  1. a lip or liplike part.

  2. Zoology.

    1. the anterior, unpaired member of the mouthparts of an arthropod, projecting in front of the mouth.

    2. the outer margin of the aperture of a shell of a gastropod.

  3. Anatomy. a ring of cartilage about the edge of a joint surface of a bone.

labrum 2 American  
[ley-bruhm] / ˈleɪ brəm /

noun

Archaeology.

plural

labra

  1. an ornamented bathtub of ancient Rome.

labrum British  
/ ˈlæb-, ˈleɪbrəm /

noun

  1. a lip or liplike part, such as the cuticular plate forming the upper lip of insects

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of labrum1

1810–20; < Latin: lip; akin to labium

Origin of labrum2

< Latin lābrum basin, contraction of lavābrum bathtub, equivalent to lavā ( re ) to wash + -brum instrumental suffix

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With just one competition under her belt this season, she dislocated her shoulder and sustained a torn labrum in what she described as the "silliest fall" in training in Switzerland last month.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

The 25-year-old Kim suffered a torn labrum in her right shoulder in early January while training in Switzerland.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 12, 2026

American Chloe Kim, two-time Olympic gold medalist in the halfpipe, will have to wear a shoulder brace after tearing her labrum.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

She said her labrum injury is less serious than feared, though it will prevent her from training before the Games.

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

Horn could not entirely make out the mandibles as described by Le Conte, and rather concluded that what Le Conte described is really one of the granules which occur behind the labrum.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 648, June 2, 1888. by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.