groin

[ groin ]

/ grɔɪn /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR groin ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Anatomy. the fold or hollow on either side of the front of the body where the thigh joins the abdomen.

the general region of this fold or hollow.

Architecture. the curved line or edge formed by the intersection of two vaults.

Also groyne. a small jetty extending from a shore to prevent beach erosion.

verb (used with object)

Architecture. to form with groins.

RELATED WORDS

genitals, inguen

Nearby words

grogger, groggery, groggy, grogram, grogshop, groin, groining, grok, grolier, grolier de servières, groma

Origin of groin

1350–1400; earlier grine, Middle English grinde; compare Old English grynde abyss, akin to grund bottom, ground¹

Related formsun·groined, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for groin

Merabet had already been immobilized by a bullet to the groin.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He closed his eyes, imagining the virgins, imagining away the pain in his head and groin.
Powerful Congressman Writes About ‘Fleshy Breasts’|Asawin Suebsaeng|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
One of the pictures showed Vice President Dick Cheney outside the Oval Office, hands cupped in front of his groin.
Yes, Lincoln Would Have Done ‘Between Two Ferns’|Jeff Greenfield|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In another case, a female officer kicked a 37-year-old woman in the groin.
In Los Angeles, Questions of Police Brutality Dog LAPD|Christine Pelisek|November 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He scored big with Tommy, then was nearly deported for kicking an NYPD officer in the groin at the Fillmore.
Speed Read: 11 Most Shocking Moments From Pete Townshend’s ‘Who I Am’|Abby Haglage|October 8, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The longitudinal dark lines on the dorsum are continuous to the groin in 95 specimens and fragmented in two specimens.
Middle American Frogs of the Hyla microcephala Group|William E. Duellman
Arterio-venous aneurysm is a frequent result of injuries by modern high-velocity bullets—for example, in the neck or groin.
Manual of Surgery|Alexis Thomson and Alexander Miles
There is a grayish or brown dark stripe from the nostril to the eye; the stripe continues to the groin.
A Distributional Study of the Amphibians of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Mexico|William E. Duellman
Ventrolateral glands moderately developed, not reaching axilla or groin and broadly separated midventrally.
A Review of the Middle American Tree Frogs of the Genus Ptychohyla|William E. Duellman
Figs. 8, 9, and 10 are and cross bandages in case of injuries in the groin.
Shifts and Expedients of Camp Life, Travel & Exploration|W. B. Lord

British Dictionary definitions for groin

groin

/ (ɡrɔɪn) /

noun

the depression or fold where the legs join the abdomenRelated adjective: inguinal

euphemistic the genitals, esp the testicles

a variant spelling (esp US) of groyne

architect a curved arris formed where two intersecting vaults meet

verb

(tr) architect to provide or construct with groins

Word Origin for groin

C15: perhaps from English grynde abyss; related to ground 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for groin

groin

1590s, earlier grine (1530s), from Middle English grynde "groin" (c.1400), originally "depression in the ground," from Old English grynde "abyss," perhaps also "depression, hollow," from Proto-Germanic *grundus (see ground). Altered 16c. by influence of loin or obsolete groin "snout." The architectural groin "edge formed by the intersection of two vaults" is from 1725.

Medicine definitions for groin

groin

[ groin ]

n.

The crease or hollow at the junction of the inner part of each thigh with the trunk, together with the adjacent region and often including the external genitals.