vulva

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See also: vulvă and Vulva

English

Illustration of a vulva.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, earlier volva (womb, female sexual organ), probably from volvō (to turn, wrap around). Akin to Sanskrit उल्ब (úlba, womb).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvʌlvə/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -ʌlvə

Noun

vulva (plural vulvas or vulvae or vulvæ)

  1. (anatomy) The external female sexual organs, collectively.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:vulva
    Hypernym: genitals
    • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 22:
      The wedge-shaped character was the triangle, the archaic Paleolithic sign of the vulva; the pubic triangle was at the end of the phallic stylus.
    • 2018, Tim Flannery, Europe: A Natural History, page 216:
      Many of the less-sophisticated works are sexual in nature. Among the most common images are stylised vulvas, whole flocks of which appear on some cave walls.
  2. (biology) A protrusion on the side of a nematode.

Usage notes

See usage notes at vagina for the difference between vulva and vagina.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Dutch

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin vulva.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvʏl.vaː/
  • (file)
  • Hyphenation: vul‧va

Noun

vulva f (plural vulvas or vulvae)

  1. vulva
    Synonyms: schaamspleet, voorbips

Derived terms

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

Noun

vulva

  1. (anatomy) vulva
    Synonym: häpy

Declension

Inflection of vulva (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
nominative vulva vulvat
genitive vulvan vulvien
partitive vulvaa vulvia
illative vulvaan vulviin
singular plural
nominative vulva vulvat
accusative nom. vulva vulvat
gen. vulvan
genitive vulvan vulvien
vulvainrare
partitive vulvaa vulvia
inessive vulvassa vulvissa
elative vulvasta vulvista
illative vulvaan vulviin
adessive vulvalla vulvilla
ablative vulvalta vulvilta
allative vulvalle vulville
essive vulvana vulvina
translative vulvaksi vulviksi
abessive vulvatta vulvitta
instructive vulvin
comitative See the possessive forms below.
Possessive forms of vulva (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
first-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative vulvani vulvani
accusative nom. vulvani vulvani
gen. vulvani
genitive vulvani vulvieni
vulvainirare
partitive vulvaani vulviani
inessive vulvassani vulvissani
elative vulvastani vulvistani
illative vulvaani vulviini
adessive vulvallani vulvillani
ablative vulvaltani vulviltani
allative vulvalleni vulvilleni
essive vulvanani vulvinani
translative vulvakseni vulvikseni
abessive vulvattani vulvittani
instructive
comitative vulvineni
second-person singular possessor
singular plural
nominative vulvasi vulvasi
accusative nom. vulvasi vulvasi
gen. vulvasi
genitive vulvasi vulviesi
vulvaisirare
partitive vulvaasi vulviasi
inessive vulvassasi vulvissasi
elative vulvastasi vulvistasi
illative vulvaasi vulviisi
adessive vulvallasi vulvillasi
ablative vulvaltasi vulviltasi
allative vulvallesi vulvillesi
essive vulvanasi vulvinasi
translative vulvaksesi vulviksesi
abessive vulvattasi vulvittasi
instructive
comitative vulvinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative vulvamme vulvamme
accusative nom. vulvamme vulvamme
gen. vulvamme
genitive vulvamme vulviemme
vulvaimmerare
partitive vulvaamme vulviamme
inessive vulvassamme vulvissamme
elative vulvastamme vulvistamme
illative vulvaamme vulviimme
adessive vulvallamme vulvillamme
ablative vulvaltamme vulviltamme
allative vulvallemme vulvillemme
essive vulvanamme vulvinamme
translative vulvaksemme vulviksemme
abessive vulvattamme vulvittamme
instructive
comitative vulvinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular plural
nominative vulvanne vulvanne
accusative nom. vulvanne vulvanne
gen. vulvanne
genitive vulvanne vulvienne
vulvainnerare
partitive vulvaanne vulvianne
inessive vulvassanne vulvissanne
elative vulvastanne vulvistanne
illative vulvaanne vulviinne
adessive vulvallanne vulvillanne
ablative vulvaltanne vulviltanne
allative vulvallenne vulvillenne
essive vulvananne vulvinanne
translative vulvaksenne vulviksenne
abessive vulvattanne vulvittanne
instructive
comitative vulvinenne
third-person possessor
singular plural
nominative vulvansa vulvansa
accusative nom. vulvansa vulvansa
gen. vulvansa
genitive vulvansa vulviensa
vulvainsarare
partitive vulvaansa vulviaan
vulviansa
inessive vulvassaan
vulvassansa
vulvissaan
vulvissansa
elative vulvastaan
vulvastansa
vulvistaan
vulvistansa
illative vulvaansa vulviinsa
adessive vulvallaan
vulvallansa
vulvillaan
vulvillansa
ablative vulvaltaan
vulvaltansa
vulviltaan
vulviltansa
allative vulvalleen
vulvallensa
vulvilleen
vulvillensa
essive vulvanaan
vulvanansa
vulvinaan
vulvinansa
translative vulvakseen
vulvaksensa
vulvikseen
vulviksensa
abessive vulvattaan
vulvattansa
vulvittaan
vulvittansa
instructive
comitative vulvineen
vulvinensa

Further reading

Galician

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin vulva.

Noun

vulva f (plural vulvas)

  1. vulva

Interlingua

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vulva, Italian vulva, English vulva, Spanish vulva, Portuguese vulva, French vulve.

Pronunciation

Noun

vulva (plural vulvas)

  1. vulva

Coordinate terms

Italian

Italian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia it

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)

  1. (anatomy) the external female genitalia; vulva
  2. (by extension, slang, humorous) vagina

Derived terms

See also

Latin

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *welH- (to turn, wind). Cognates include Sanskrit उल्ब (ulba).

Pronunciation

Noun

vulva f (genitive vulvae); first declension

  1. (anatomy) the womb
    Synonyms: mātrīx, uterus
  2. (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.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative vulva vulvae
Genitive vulvae vulvārum
Dative vulvae vulvīs
Accusative vulvam vulvās
Ablative vulvā vulvīs
Vocative vulva vulvae

Derived terms

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)

  1. (anatomy) vulva (the external female sexual organs)
    Synonym: (vulgar) cona

Spanish

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin vulva, from earlier volva, from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (to turn, wind).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈbulba/
  • Audio (Venezuela):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ulba
  • Syllabification: vul‧va

Noun

vulva f (plural vulvas)

  1. (anatomy) vulva (the external female sexual organs)

Derived terms

Further reading

Swedish

Noun

vulva c

  1. (anatomy) vulva (the external female sex organs)
    Synonyms: blygd, underliv

Declension

Declension of vulva 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative vulva vulvan vulvor vulvorna
Genitive vulvas vulvans vulvors vulvornas

See also

References