labrum

¹ American  

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

noun

labra plural

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.

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labrum ² American  

[ley-bruhm] / ˈleɪ brəm /

noun

Archaeology.

labra plural

1. an ornamented bathtub of ancient Rome.

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labrum British  

/ ˈlæb-, ˈleɪbrəm /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• labra
  plural

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

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

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

Graterol, 27, missed the 2025 season after undergoing surgery on the labrum in his right shoulder in November 2024.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 7, 2026

Hart sustained a torn labrum against the Houston Texans in the playoffs, but said he expects to be cleared to return around mandatory minicamp, which begins June 10.

From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2025

Cephalic crest low, depressed, setiferous; labrum tumid; labial lobes oval, contiguous; antennal sheaths ending opposite the base of the wing.

From Journal of Entomology and Zoology Volume 11, Number 4, December 1919 by Alexander, Charles P.

Related Words

• rim