vulva

== English == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, earlier volva (“womb, female sexual organ”), probably from volvō (“to turn, wrap around”). Akin to Sanskrit उल्ब॑ (úlba) and उल्व॑ (úlva, “womb”) or English valve, valva and other descendants of the Latin term (evolve, involve, revolve). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈvʌlvə/ Rhymes: -ʌlvə === Noun === vulva (plural vulvas or vulvae or vulvæ) (anatomy) The external female genitalia of humans and other placental mammals, which includes the clitoris, labia, and vulval vestibule/vulvar opening. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vulva Hypernym: genitals (biology) A protrusion on the side of a nematode. ==== Usage notes ==== See usage notes at vagina for the difference between vulva and vagina. ==== Hypernyms ==== genital tubercle (clitoris), urogenital sinus (vulval vestibule), urogenital folds (labia minora), labioscrotal swellings (labia majora) - embryological precursors external genitalia ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== == Dutch == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin vulva. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈvʏl.vaː/ Hyphenation: vul‧va === Noun === vulva f (plural vulva's or vulvae, no diminutive) vulva Synonyms: kut, miemel, schaamspleet, voorbips ==== Derived terms ==== vulvitis === See also === vagina (in specialist language the same sense as English vagina, but in colloquial language synonymous with vulva) == Finnish == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin vulva. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈʋulʋɑ/, [ˈʋulʋɑ̝] Rhymes: -ulʋɑ Syllabification(key): vul‧va Hyphenation(key): vul‧va === Noun === vulva (anatomy) vulva Synonym: häpy ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “vulva”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 4 July 2023 == Galician == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin vulva. === Noun === vulva f (plural vulvas) vulva == Interlingua == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin vulva, Italian vulva, English vulva, Spanish vulva, Portuguese vulva, French vulve. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈvul.va/ === Noun === vulva (plural vulvas) vulva ==== Coordinate terms ==== vagina == Italian == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, from earlier volva, from the Proto-Indo-European root *welH- (“to turn, wind”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈvul.va/ Rhymes: -ulva Hyphenation: vùl‧va === Noun === vulva f (plural vulve) (anatomy) the external female genitalia; vulva (by extension, slang, humorous) vagina ==== Derived terms ==== === See also === == Latin == === Alternative forms === volva, vulba, bulba === Etymology === From Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind”). Cognates include Sanskrit उल्ब (ulba). Compare typologically vīscus (possibly from Proto-Indo-European *weys-). === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈwʊɫ.wa] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈvul.va] === Noun === vulva f (genitive vulvae); first declension (anatomy) the womb Synonyms: mātrīx, uterus (anatomy, chiefly Medieval Latin) the vagina (the external orifice of the female reproductive tract) Synonyms: (euphemistic) vāgīna, (vulgar) cunnus, (medieval) valva Holonyms: verētrum, muliebria, pudenda, verenda, genitālia, partēs, membra, nātūra ==== Usage notes ==== Unlike its English descendant, refers to the vagina (the internal tract) and not to the vulva (the external genitals), even medievally. ==== Declension ==== First-declension noun. ==== Derived terms ==== vulvula, volvula === Further reading === “uulua” on page 2341 of the Oxford Latin Dictionary (2nd ed., 2012) “vulva”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “vulva”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette. == Portuguese == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, from earlier volva, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind”). === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: vul‧va === Noun === vulva f (plural vulvas) (anatomy) vulva (the external female sexual organs) Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vagina (informal) === Further reading === “vulva”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2026, →ISBN “vulva”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026 “vulva”, in Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisboa: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa, 2001–2026 “vulva”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 “vulva”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Etymology === Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, from earlier volva, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈbulba/ [ˈbul.β̞a] Rhymes: -ulba Syllabification: vul‧va === Noun === vulva f (plural vulvas) (anatomy) vulva (the external female sexual organs) ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “vulva”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Swedish == === Noun === vulva c (anatomy) vulva (the external female sex organs) Synonyms: blygd, underliv ==== Declension ==== === See also === blygdläppar (“labia”) urinrör (“urethra”) vagina === References === “vulva”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “vulva”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) “vulva”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) Svensk MeSH Fula Ordboken