# vulva
## English
### 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: /ˈvʌlvə/
* Audio (US):(file)
* 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
** 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.
* (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

* blue vulva
* multivulva
* vulva dentata
* vulval
* vulvaless
* vulvar
* vulvate
* vulvectomy
* vulvic
* vulviform

#### Translations
### Further reading

* vulva on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

## Dutch
### Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin vulva.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈvʏl.vaː/
* Audio:(file)
* Hyphenation: vul‧va

### Noun

vulva f (plural vulvas or vulvae)
* 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: /ˈʋulʋɑ/, [ˈʋulʋɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -ulʋɑ
* Hyphenation: vul‧va

### Noun

vulva
* (anatomy) vulva
    Synonym: häpy

#### Declension

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 vulvaini $^{rare}$
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 vulvaisi $^{rare}$
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 vulvaimme $^{rare}$
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 vulvainne $^{rare}$
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 vulvainsa $^{rare}$
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

* “vulva”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

## 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: /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: /ˈvul.va/
* Rhymes: -ulva
* Hyphenation: vùl‧va
* (Rome) IPA: /vuɾvä/

### Noun

vulva f (plural vulve)
* (anatomy) the external female genitalia; vulva
* (by extension, slang, humorous) vagina

#### Derived terms

* vulvare
* vulvovaginale
* vulvovaginite

### See also

* clitoride
* grandi labbra
* piccole labbra
* vagina

## Latin
### Alternative forms

* volva, vulba, bulba

### Etymology

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

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /ˈu̯ul.u̯a/, [ˈu̯ʊɫ̪u̯ä]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /ˈvul.va/, [ˈvulvä]

### 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

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈvuw.vɐ/ [ˈvuʊ̯.vɐ]
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈvuw.vɐ/ [ˈvuʊ̯.vɐ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈvuw.va/ [ˈvuʊ̯.va]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈvul.vɐ/ [ˈvuɫ.vɐ]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈvul.vɐ/ [ˈvuɫ.vɐ]
** (Northern Portugal) IPA: /ˈbul.bɐ/ [ˈbuɫ.βɐ]
* Hyphenation: vul‧va

### Noun

vulva f (plural vulvas)
* (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: /ˈbulba/ [ˈbul.β̞a]
* Audio (Venezuela):(file)
* Rhymes: -ulba
* Syllabification: vul‧va

### Noun

vulva f (plural vulvas)
* (anatomy) vulva (the external female sexual organs)

#### Derived terms

* vulvar

### Further reading

* “vulva”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Swedish
### Noun

vulva c
* (anatomy) vulva (the external female sex organs)
    Synonyms: blygd, underliv

#### Declension

| | | nominative | genitive |
| singular | indefinite | vulva | vulvas |
| singular | definite | vulvan | vulvans |
| plural | indefinite | vulvor | vulvors |
| plural | definite | vulvorna | vulvornas |

### See also

* blygdläppar (“labia”)
* urinrör (“urethra”)
* vagina

### References

* vulva in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* vulva in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* vulva in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
* Svensk MeSH
* Fula Ordboken