vagina

American  

[vuh-jahy-nuh] / vəˈdʒaɪ nə /

noun

vaginas, plural vaginae plural

1. Anatomy, Zoology.

   1. the passage leading from the uterus to the vulva in certain female mammals.

   2. a sheathlike part or organ.

2. Botany. the sheath formed by the basal part of certain leaves where they embrace the stem.

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vagina British  

/ vəˈdʒaɪnə /

noun

1. the moist canal in most female mammals, including humans, that extends from the cervix of the uterus to an external opening between the labia minora

2. anatomy biology any sheath or sheathlike structure, such as a leaf base that encloses a stem

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vagina Scientific  

/ və-jī′nə /

1. The tube-shaped part of the reproductive tract in female mammals that is connected to the uterus at one end and opens to the outside of the body on the other end. The fully developed fetus passes through the vagina during birth.

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vagina Cultural  

1. A tubelike passageway in the female that connects the external genitals with the uterus.

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Other Word Forms

• vaginal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of vagina

1675–85; < New Latin; Latin vāgīna sheath

Compare meaning

How does vagina compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• vulva vs. vagina

Explanation

The vagina is a canal-like area in women stretching from the uterus to the labia. Vaginas are pretty important, since they're crucial for birth and sex. A vagina is an opening in a woman's body that goes back to her uterus. In sex, the man's penis goes into the vagina. In birth, the baby comes out of the vagina. That makes vaginas pretty crucial to life. Without a vagina, there'd be no babies in the womb, and even if there were, they'd have no way to get out of the womb and be born.

Example Sentences

A display at the Vagina Museum in east London last year encouraged visitors to write improvements they'd like to see to the NHS's cervical screening service on slips of paper.

From BBC • Feb. 1, 2025

This review incorrectly said that “The Vagina Monologues” was a Tony Award-winning play.

From Washington Post • Feb. 14, 2023

Sarah Creed, curator at the Vagina Museum in Camden Market, north London, is ending a story about a gynaecologist friend whose child at nursery was told it was inappropriate to say “vagina”.

From The Guardian • Dec. 12, 2019

It’s evident the Vagina Museum is striving to make male, transgender and intersex visitors feel just as welcome and included.

From New York Times • Nov. 18, 2019

The Vagina is a membranous canal commencing at the hymen and extending to the uterus.

From Fruits of Philosophy A Treatise on the Population Question by Knowlton, Charles

Related Words

• genitals