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• hymen
  hymen

  noun

  a fold of mucous membrane partly closing the external orifice of the vagina in a virgin.
• Hymen
  Hymen

  noun

  the ancient Greek god of marriage.

hymen

¹ American  

[hahy-muhn] / ˈhaɪ mən /

noun

Anatomy.

• hymens
  plural

1. a fold of mucous membrane partly closing the external orifice of the vagina in a virgin.

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Hymen ² American  

[hahy-muhn] / ˈhaɪ mən /

noun

1. the ancient Greek god of marriage.

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hymen ¹ British  

/ ˈhaɪmɛn /

noun

1. anatomy a fold of mucous membrane that partly covers the entrance to the vagina and is usually ruptured when sexual intercourse takes place for the first time

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Hymen ² British  

/ ˈhaɪmɛn /

noun

1. the Greek and Roman god of marriage

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hymen Scientific  

/ hī′mən /

1. A mucous membrane that partly closes the opening of the vagina.

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Hymen ¹ Cultural  

1. The Greek god of the wedding feast.

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hymen ² Cultural  

1. A thin fold of mucous membrane that covers all or part of the entrance to the vagina.

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Discover More

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hymenal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hymens
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hymen

First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin hymēn, from Greek hymḗn “skin, membrane”; see also seam ( def. ), sew ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hymen Hymen hymens

The word hymen, which persists in nearly all medical textbooks, shares the same root as Hymen, the Greek god of marriage.

From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2021

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

We can readily see that, in a case like that of Verdile, in which rectal delivery is effected, the hymen could be left intact and the product of conception be born alive.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle

The word hymen, which persists in nearly all medical textbooks, shares the same root as Hymen, the Greek god of marriage.

From New York Times ● Sep. 21, 2021

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

Hymen Lipman of Philadelphia patented the pencil-and-eraser on this day in 1858.

From New York Times ● Mar. 30, 2016

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 Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle