hymen

[ hahy-muhn ]

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

Origin of hymen

1
First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin hymēn, from Greek hymḗn “skin, membrane”; see also seam, sew1

Other definitions for Hymen (2 of 2)

Hymen
[ hahy-muhn ]

noun
  1. the ancient Greek god of marriage.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hymen in a sentence

  • Within a year after his return he bought back the ancestral home of the Hymens, a fine house dating from the reign of Queen Anne.

    The Mayor of Troy | Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch

British Dictionary definitions for hymen (1 of 2)

hymen

/ (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

Origin of hymen

1
C17: from Greek: membrane

Derived forms of hymen

  • hymenal, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for Hymen (2 of 2)

Hymen

/ (ˈhaɪmɛn) /


noun
  1. the Greek and Roman god of marriage

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

Scientific definitions for hymen

hymen

[ mən ]


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

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for hymen (1 of 2)

hymen

[ (heye-muhn) ]


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

Notes for hymen

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.
Hymen

[ (heye-muhn) ]


The Greek god of the wedding feast.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.