epigyne

English

Etymology

From modern Latin epigynum, from Ancient Greek ἐπί (epí) + γυνή (gunḗ, “female”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈɛpɪd͡ʒaɪn/

Noun

epigyne (plural epigynes)

  1. (zoology) The external female sex organ in arachnids.
    • 1996: This [genital] area is inconspicuous in most adult males and in immature females, but in adult females of the majority of species it is modified into a variably shaped, more or less sclerotized structure called the epigyne. — Michael J. Roberts, Spiders of Britain and Northern Europe (Collins 1996, p. 16)
The underside and head of a female spider
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