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

---

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

Though, at the time, the team only publicly described the diagnosis as a partially dislocated shoulder, the NL MVP winner had also torn his left labrum.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2025

The mouth is overhung by a large labrum or upper lip, and the integument of the dorsal surface of the body forms a more or less definite dorsal shield.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 7 "Crocoite" to "Cuba" by Various

Related Words

• rim