vagina
- 1The muscular passage in female mammals that leads from the vulva to the cervix and is used in sex and in giving birth; also, a similar reproductive passage in birds, reptiles, and some invertebrates.
As labor progressed, the baby's head moved through the cervix and into the vagina.
The veterinarian examined the mare's vagina for signs of injury after a difficult foaling.
UsageThe plural is usually vaginas; vaginae appears mostly in formal anatomical writing.
Note
In anatomy the word names only the internal canal; the external genitals around its opening are the vulva, a distinction everyday speech often blurs, as the colloquial use shows.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Anatomically, the vagina is the internal canal. womenshealth.gov
- The external female genital organs are called the vulva. cdc.gov
- 2In everyday speech, the vulva, or the vulva and the vaginal passage taken together.
After the long ride, she complained that the narrow bike seat had made her vagina sore.
The label on the gentle wash said it was for the vagina, but the small print warned it was for external use only.
Similarvulva
Practice
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Origin
Latin vāgīna, a word for a sheath or scabbard, or any covering or holder, was taken over directly by scholars. It comes from Proto-Italic *wāgīnā.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
- Latin vāgīna meant a sheath or scabbard, and more generally a covering or holder. en.wiktionary.org
- English vagina was borrowed directly from Latin as a learned borrowing. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin vāgīna derives from reconstructed Proto-Italic *wāgīnā. en.wiktionary.org