About Labret Piercings

A labret is one form of body piercing. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the facial lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin. Among the ancient Aztecs and Mayans labret piercing was reserved for male members of the higher castes. A less common name for the labret piercing is the 'Mao.' It is widely believed that this name originates from Mao Zedong's mole below his lower lip. The pronunciation of the word 'labret' has been heavily debated for years. Many people including industry professionals have often pronounced it as 'La-bray'. According to dictionary reference, it is pronounced 'la-bret'. The root word is the Latin labrum, which means lip. The -et suffix, according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, means 'something worn on'. So, the combination of the Latin labrum (lip) and the suffix -et (something worn on), creates labret - something worn on the lip.

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