Labia majora

Labia majora
Labia majora
Labia Majora.jpg
Labia majora and pudendal cleft
Latin labium majus pudendi
Gray's subject #270 1265
Artery Deep external pudendal artery
Nerve Perineal branches of posterior femoral cutaneous nerve
Precursor Genital swelling
Dorlands/Elsevier Labia majora
Vulva structures with labels

The labia majora (singular: labium majus) are two prominent longitudinal cutaneous folds that extend downward and backward from the mons pubis to the perineum and form the lateral boundaries of the pudendal cleft, which contains the labia minora, interlabial sulci, clitoral hood, clitoral glans, frenulum clitoridis, the Hart's Line, and the vulval vestibule, which contains the external openings of the urethra and the vagina.

Each labium majus has two surfaces, an outer, pigmented and covered with strong, crisp hairs; and an inner, smooth and beset with large sebaceous follicles.

Between the two there is a considerable quantity of areolar tissue, fat, and a tissue resembling the dartos tunic of the scrotum, besides vessels, nerves, and glands.

The Labia Majora are thicker in front, where they form by their meeting the anterior commisure of the labia majora.

Posteriorly they are not really joined, but appear to become lost in the neighboring integument, ending close to — and nearly parallel with — each other.

Together with the connecting skin between them, they form the posterior commisure of the labia majora or posterior boundary of the pudendum.

The interval between the posterior commissure of the labia majora and the anus, from 2.5 to 3 cm. in length, constitutes the perineum.

The labia majora correspond to the scrotum in the male.

Between the labia majora and the inner thighs are the labiocrural folds.

Between the labia majora and labia minora are the interlabial sulci.

See also


External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.



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Look at other dictionaries:

  • labia majora — (n.) the outer fold of skin around the vulva, 1813, Modern Latin, lit. great lips (see LABIA (Cf. labia)). The singular is labium majus …   Etymology dictionary

  • Labĭa majōra — und minōra (lat.), die großen und kleinen Schamlippen, s. Scheide …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • labia majora — [mə jôr′ə] n. [ModL, lit., greater lips] the outer folds of skin of the vulva, one on either side …   English World dictionary

  • Labia majora pudendi — Labia majora pudendi,   große Schamlippen; Labia minora pudendi, kleine Schamlippen …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Labia majora — The larger (major) outside pair of labia (lips) of the vulva (the female external genitalia). * * * la·bia ma·jo·ra .lā bē ə mə jōr ə, jȯr n pl the outer fatty folds of the vulva bounding the vestibule …   Medical dictionary

  • labia majora — noun plural Etymology: New Latin, literally, larger lips Date: 1838 the outer fatty folds of the vulva bounding the vestibule …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Labia majora — …   Википедия

  • labia majora — /lay bee euh meuh jawr euh, johr euh/, sing. labium majus /lay bee euhm may jeuhs/. Anat. the outer folds of skin of the external female genitalia. [1870 75; < NL: greater lips] * * * …   Universalium

  • labia majora — noun The two outer rounded folds of adipose tissue that lie on either side of the opening of the vagina …   Wiktionary

  • labia majora — [mə dʒɔ:rə] plural noun Anatomy the larger outer folds of the vulva …   English new terms dictionary

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