Definition of vagina dentata in English:
vagina dentata
noundɛnˈtɑːtəvəˌjīnə denˈtädə
The motif of a vagina with teeth, occurring in folklore and fantasy and said to symbolize male fears of castration or the dangers of sexual intercourse.
Example sentencesExamples
- The mythic vagina dentata injures its prey; and predator animals ‘bleed’ from the mouth, sometimes with humans' blood.
- I'm not feeling Freudian enough to dwell on the symbolism, but that tunnel with teeth screams vagina dentata.
- For her toothy mouth shamelessly crystallizes the archaic fantasy of the vagina dentata.
- A dramatic representation of a vagina dentata, it foiled the relative modesty of the other garments, and suggested that women's fashion might also perpetuate the stereotype of the femme fatale.
- As if to suggest a vagina dentata, golden teeth float about its orificelike head.
Origin
Early 20th century: dentata, feminine of Latin dentatus 'having teeth'.