What does groin mean?
The groin is the area where the lower abdomen joins the upper thighs at the front of the body. The term commonly appears in medical and sporting contexts, as in “groin strain,” “groin injury,” and “pain in the groin,” and may also refer to the pubic region more generally. In architecture, a groin is the inward-curving intersection of two vaulted surfaces, as in the famous groin vaults of a cathedral; the two parts of the building are called groin vaults. Although the word can sound unusual when used for the body, it is the standard anatomical term rather than an impolite substitute. The architectural sense reflects the word’s older meaning of a projecting ridge or angle. As a verb, “groin” survives only in archaic or regional usage and means “to groan,” whereas modern speakers ordinarily choose “groan.”
The region at the junction of the lower abdomen and upper thighs; in architecture, the curved angle or intersection formed where two vaulted surfaces meet.
"The doctor gently examined the painful area of his groin."
The anatomical sense is standard in medical, sporting, and general usage. The architectural sense is usually encountered in the expression “groin vault.”
To groan, especially as a variant of the more usual modern verb.
"The old wooden frame groined beneath the weight of the roof."
Chiefly archaic or regional; modern standard English normally uses “groan.”
Used when referring to the separate groin regions of multiple people or animals.
"The scan showed swelling in both groins."
A groin vault takes its name from the same word as the stretch between your legs: both originally referred to a sharply projecting angle.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does groin come from?
The noun comes from Old English “grōin,” originally referring to a projecting ridge or angular feature and thus, by extension, to the intersection of two arches. It is generally treated as related to “ground” and its derivatives. The bodily sense developed later, while the architectural meaning remained established in the vocabulary of vaults and masonry. The separate verb “groin” is a surviving variant of “groan” and is now largely confined to archaic or regional speech.
Related word forms
How groin is actually used
In anatomical contexts, “groin” is standard and generally neutral, though it may refer indirectly to the genitals in some expressions. The verb “groin,” meaning “to groan,” is now chiefly archaic or regional; modern standard English normally uses “groan.”
Easily confused with groin
A groyne is a coastal barrier built to trap sand, whereas a groin is the body region between the abdomen and thighs or an architectural intersection of vaulted surfaces.