vagina

[vuh-jahy-nuh] /vəˈdʒaɪ nə/
noun, plural vaginas, vaginae
[vuh-jahy-nee] /vəˈdʒaɪ ni/ (Show IPA)
1.
Anatomy, Zoology.
  1. the passage leading from the uterus to the vulva in certain female mammals.
    Compare oviduct.
  2. a sheathlike part or organ.
2.
Botany. the sheath formed by the basal part of certain leaves where they embrace the stem.
Origin
1675-85; < Neo-Latin; Latin vāgīna sheath
British Dictionary definitions for vagina

vagina

/vəˈdʒaɪnə/
noun (pl) -nas, -nae (-niː)
1.
the moist canal in most female mammals, including humans, that extends from the cervix of the uterus to an external opening between the labia minora
2.
(anatomy, biology) any sheath or sheathlike structure, such as a leaf base that encloses a stem
Derived Forms
vaginal, adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Latin: sheath
Word Origin and History for vagina
n.

1680s, from Latin vagina "sheath, scabbard" (plural vaginae), from PIE *wag-ina- (cf. Lithuanian voziu "ro cover with a hollow thing"), from root *wag- "to break, split, bite." Probably the ancient notion is of a sheath made from a split piece of wood (see sheath). A modern medical word; the Latin word was not used in an anatomical sense in classical times. Anthropological vagina dentata is attested from 1908.

vagina in Medicine

vagina va·gi·na (və-jī'nə)
n. pl. va·gi·nas or va·gi·nae (-nē)

  1. The genital canal in the female, leading from the opening of the vulva to the cervix of the uterus.

  2. A sheathlike anatomical structure.

vagina in Science
vagina
  (və-jī'nə)   
The tube-shaped part of the reproductive tract in female mammals that is connected to the uterus at one end and opens to the outside of the body on the other end. The fully developed fetus passes through the vagina during birth.
vagina in Culture
vagina [(vuh-jeye-nuh)]

A tubelike passageway in the female that connects the external genitals with the uterus.