LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininefirst declension

vāgīna

vāgīna f (genitive vāgīnae)
Classical[waːˈɡiː.na]Ecclesiastical[vaˈd͡ʒiː.na]

Meaning

  1. sheath; scabbard
    Avertit hic casus vaginam et gladium educere conanti dextram moratur manum, impeditumque hostes circumsistunt.This circumstance turns aside his scabbard and obstructs his right hand when attempting to draw his sword: the enemy crowd around him when [thus] embarrassed.c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico 5.44
    Dixit, vaginaque eripit ensem fulmineum, strictoque ferit retinacula ferro.He said, and from its scabbard forth he flashed the lightning of his sword, with his sword he struck the hawsers.29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.579
  2. covering; sheath; holder (of anything)
    Reperimus inter exempla Hermotimi Clazomenii animam relicto corpore errare solitam vagamque e longinquo multa adnuntiare, quae nisi a praesente nosci non possent, corpore interim semianimi, donec cremato eo inimici, qui Cantharidae vocabantur, remeanti animae veluti vaginam ademerint; […]77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 7.174
    Omnia quidem principalia viscera membranis propriis ac velut vaginis inclusit providens natura; […]Indeed provident Nature has enclosed all the principal internal organs with special membranes serving as sheaths.77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 11.198
  3. hull or husk (of an ear of grain etc.)
  4. euphemisticthe vagina
    Noctu in vigiliam quando ibat miles, quom tu ibas simul,c. 191 BCE, Plautus, Pseudolus 4.7.80
    Ex hac igitur Scandza insula quasi officina gentium aut certe velut vagina nationum cum rege suo nomine Berig Gothi quondam memorantur egressi: qui ut primum e navibus exientes terras attigerunt, ilico nomen loci dederunt.Now from this island of Scandza, as from a hive of races or a womb of nations, the Goths are said to have come forth long ago under their king, Berig by name. As soon as they disembarked from their ships and set foot on the land, they straightway gave their name to the place.c 551, Jordanes, translated by topostext.org, DE ORIGINE ACTIBUSQUE GETARUM:
  5. the sheath of a claw
    Mirum pardos, pantheras, leones et similia condito in corporis vaginas unguium mucrone, ne refringantur hebetenturve, ingredi aversisque falculis currere nec nisi in adpetendo protendere.77 CE – 79 CE, Plinius Maior, Naturalis Historia 8.41

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativevāgīnavāgīnae
genitivevāgīnaevāgīnārum
dativevāgīnaevāgīnīs
accusativevāgīnamvāgīnās
ablativevāgīnāvāgīnīs
vocativevāgīnavāgīnae

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

gladium educere (e vagīna)
to draw one's sword (from the scabbard).
gladium in vaginam recondere
to sheath one's sword.

vāgīna, ae, f. cf. vas,
I. a scabbard, sheath.
I. Lit., of a sword, Cic. Inv. 2, 4, 14; id. Marcell. 7, 57; Caes. B. G. 5, 44; Verg. A. 4, 579; 6, 260; 10, 475; Hor. S. 2, 1, 41; Ov. M. 10, 475; Val. Max. 8, 9, 2: (delphinus) pinnae aculeos velut vagina condens, Plin. 9, 8, 8, § 25; cf. id. 8, 15, 17, § 41; 7, 52, 53, § 174; 11, 37, 77, § 198.—Trop.: senatus consultum inclusum in tabulis tamquam in vaginā reconditum habere, Cic. Cat. 1, 2, 4: ut gladius ... ita vox in vaginā silentii condita hebetatur, App. Flor. 3, p. 357, 32.—
II. Transf., the covering, sheath, holder of any thing.
1. In gen.: omnia principalia viscera membranis propriis ac velut vaginis inclusit natura, Plin. 11, 37, 77, § 198; cf.: cremato eo (corpore), inimici ... remeanti animae veluti vaginam ademerint, id. 7, 52, 53, § 174.—
2. The sheath of an ear of grain, etc., the hull, husk, Varr. R. R. 1, 48, 1 sq.; Cic. Sen. 15, 51.—Cf. of a frame or mould to shape a growing gourd, Plin. 19, 5, 24, § 70.—
3. The female vagina, Plaut. Ps. 4, 7, 85.—
4. The sheath of a claw, in cats, Plin. 8, 15, 17, § 41.

Origins

From Proto-Italic *wāgīnā (“sheath, scabbard”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wag- (“sheath, cover”). Tentatively cognate with Lithuanian vóžti (“to cover”).

Elsewhere
  • Catalanvagina
  • Englishvagina
  • Frenchvagin
  • GermanVagina
  • Italianvagina
  • Occitanvagina
  • Portuguesevagina
  • Spanishvagina
  • Afrikaansvagina
  • Albanianvaginë
Ibero-Romance
  • Portuguesebainhafrom Old Galician-Portuguese bainha
  • Portuguesevagem
  • Portuguesevage
  • Portuguesebagem
  • Spanishvainafrom Old Spanish vayna
  • Spanishvainillafrom Old Spanish vayna
  • Asturianvaina
  • Galicianvaíñafrom Old Galician-Portuguese bainha
  • Galicianbaíñafrom Old Galician-Portuguese bainha
  • Falavaina
Gallo-Romance
  • Catalanbeina
  • Occitangaina
  • Frenchgainefrom Old French guaïne
Italo-Romance
  • Italianguaina
Gallo-Italic
  • Piedmontesevèina

In English words that came into English from vāgīna

  • vaginavāgīna
  • vaginalvāgīnālis
  • invaginateinvāgīnātus
  • evaginateēvāgīnātus
  • amain*invagīnare
  • vaginulavāgīnula
  • abdominovaginalabdomen

Quick answers

What does vāgīna mean in Latin?
vāgīna, a noun, means “sheath; scabbard; covering”.
What is the genitive of vāgīna?
The genitive singular is vāgīnae. vāgīna is feminine, first declension.
How do you pronounce vāgīna?
In classical Latin, [waːˈɡiː.na]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [vaˈd͡ʒiː.na].
Which English words come from vāgīna?
English words that go back to Latin vāgīna include vagina, vaginal, evaginate, amain, vaginula and abdominovaginal.