An apparently intact hymen is valued in some cultures as proof of virginity in a bride; this “proof,” however, is not accurate. The hymen may appear incomplete in a virgin, and it may appear intact in a woman who has engaged in sexual intercourse.
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin hymēn, from Greek hymḗn “skin, membrane”; see also seam ( def. ), sew 1 ( def. )
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The World Health Organization has said they have “no scientific validity” and the appearance of a hymen was not a reliable indicator of intercourse.
From Reuters ● Aug. 11, 2021
The World Health Organization says the practice of inspecting the hymen visually or with fingers cannot prove whether a woman or girl has had vaginal intercourse or not.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2021
California Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez of San Diego has introduced legislation to prohibit hymen examinations by physicians; doing so would lead to potential disciplinary action by the state medical board.
From Scientific American ● Mar. 2, 2020
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez introduced a bill on Wednesday that would penalize medical practitioners for examining a woman or girl’s hymen in an attempt to ascertain whether she’s ever had vaginal intercourse.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 11, 2020
It may be added that this interpretation of the biological function of the hymen is supported by the facts of its evolution.
From Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 5 Erotic Symbolism; The Mechanism of Detumescence; The Psychic State in Pregnancy by Ellis, Havelock
Positioned above a shallow pool, two winged figures — Hymen, the ancient Greek god of marriage ceremonies, and Eros, the mischievous god of carnal desire — gaze at each other over a decorative urn.
From New York Times ● Feb. 24, 2022
The earliest examples, such as those by Sappho and Catullus , make distracting references to ancient gods — including to Hymen, the Greek god of marriage.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 13, 2018
Board member Debbie Hymen said she opposes selling naming rights on principle.
From Washington Times ● May 14, 2016
Callers stuck on hold in March learned about a patent granted 152 years ago this month to Hymen Lipman for a new-and-improved pencil that featured an eraser on the tip.
From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2010
In attendance upon him was Anteros, said sometimes to be the avenger of slighted love, sometimes the one who opposes love; also Himeros or Longing, and Hymen, the God of the Wedding Feast.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Nine years after the 1998 convictions, the American Academy of Pediatrics published a study concluding that torn or injured hymens do not leave scars.
From Time ● Dec. 10, 2013
Hickinbotham of Birmingham reports the history of two cases of labor at term in females whose hymens were immensely thickened.
From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Pyle, Walter L. (Walter Lytle)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
