One of the more painful places to get one's ear pierced. Made of cartilage, and usually around a quarter of an inch thick, it can take a long time to heal, but it is certainly eye-catching as a fairly rare piercing if it works out.

The tragus is the small triangle-shaped piece of cartilage sticking back from in front of the ear opening. It is below the daith and above the antitragus.

If a left ear looks something like this, the bold part is the tragus:

 ____
/ _  \
\_ \  \
 \  | |
 / _/ |
     /
 \__/

Tra"gus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. a part of the inner ear.] Anat.

The prominence in front of the external opening of the ear. See Illust. under Ear.

 

© Webster 1913.

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