Labret

A labret is one form of body piercing. Taken literally, it is any type of adornment that is attached to the lip (labrum). However, the term usually refers to a piercing that is below the bottom lip, above the chin. It is sometimes referred to as a "tongue pillar" or a "soul patch piercing."

Pronunciation

The traditional pronunciation of labret in anthropology is /ˈleɪbrᵻt/ LAY-brət. It derives from the Latin labrum "lip" and the diminutive suffix -et. However, many in the body-piercing industry give it the pseudo-French pronunciation /ləˈbreɪ/ lə-BRAY, though it is not a French word.

Anthropology

The labret was a traditional piercing among the American Northwest Coast Indians, where it was related to status:

When a mask was being made to represent someone of high status, that mask would likewise have a labret.

The wearing of labrets was widely observed among Tlingit women of high status at the time of European and American arrivals in Southeast Alaska. The Russian term for the Tlingit, Koloshi, derived from an Aluutiq word for labret.