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When your legs are stretched- for example when you stand or lie on your back- there is a narrow area, about a finger wide, between where your legs join the body and your genitals on the underside of your torso. What is this part of the body called?

Groin, as the OED defines it, seems to refer to "the depression between the abdomen and the upper thigh", that is, an area on the front of the body and not between the legs, where the area lies that I'm after.

Here is an image in which the area is marked in green: (NSFW, genitals covered). Please note how the 'string' of the taut adductor muscles separates the groin on the front side of the trunk from the area in question on the trunk's underside. The image shows a female body and the perineum is invisible below the genitalia in the shadow between the buttocks.

(Image source-NSFW, explicit)

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    the supero-medial compartment of the thigh
    – lbf
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 15:19
  • Is there an anatomical chart that labels it in medical English?
    – Mitch
    Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 20:21

8 Answers 8

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The area between the torso and the thigh, where the leg “connects” to the body, is called the inguinal canal or just inguinal. “I still have pain in the inguinal region from exercising.”

According to Wikipedia:

In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is inguinal, as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone.

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As we're talking about English usage, not technical anatomy, I think the groin has to be defined imprecisely as the apex of the two legs. The word has no precise medical meaning. Perineum does, but I am not sure there is a term in English presumably because it isn't very useful to distinguish that narrow strip from a vaguer region called (in Britain) 'the bottom' (or the arse, ass etc). 'In Wright's monumental (Victorian) dialect dictionary 'Last' is defined as 'the groin; in pl. 'the perineum' which suggests confusion. 'Lesk' and 'leesk' are defined there as 'The groin; the flank an the animal' which makes little sense If you're not confused about this region (from a lay perspective) you're not informed! http://eddonline-proj.uibk.ac.at/edd/.

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The legs meet the front and rear of the body. So groin is correct. The rear area is the buttock. I realise you are thinking of the inside of the leg but there is no inside bit of the Torso. Therefore it either joins the front or the back of the torso.

groin C.E.D. noun [ C ] UK ​ /ɡrɔɪn/ US ​ /ɡrɔɪn/ groin noun [ C ] (BODY) ​ the place where your legs meet the front of your body:

He pulled a muscle in his groin.

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  • Your citation explicitly states the "front of [the] body". I'm looking for the 'underside' of the torso. I have edited the question to clarify.
    – user358034
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 14:28
  • I have edited the question but your idea is wrong, there is no underside of the torso it tapers into the legs and genitals around the groin or from the buttocks to the legs. The groin is the inside of the legs where you would get a hernia for example. But that attaches to the front of the body. You would treat a hernia fromthe front not through the buttock.
    – Brad
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 14:39
  • I'll post a image tonight when I get home.
    – user358034
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 14:40
  • It's OK I am not going to argue with you If I am incorrect, then just don't accept my answer or I can delete it if you want it it no problem.
    – Brad
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 14:45
  • I have added a link to an image in my question.
    – user358034
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 19:29
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The name for the crease where inner thigh meets labia is the Labiacrural fold

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    Can you provide a reference or additional supporting information for this? Answers that don't do that are often deleted.
    – Scott - Слава Україні
    Commented Oct 11, 2021 at 4:26
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Surprisingly challenging hunt!

ischiopubic ramus/inferior pubic ramus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ischiopubic_ramus#/media/File:Skeletal_pelvis-pubis.svg

"Pelvis. Ischiopubic ramus is the region between "3" and "4c"."

enter image description here

The human pelvis. 1. Sacrum, 2. Ilium, 3. Ischium, 4. Pubis: 4a. Body of pubic bone 4b. Superior pubic ramus 4c. Inferior pubic ramus 4d. Pubic tubercle 5. Pubic symphisis, 6. Acetabulum, 7. Obturator foramen, 8. Coccyx, Red dotted line = Linea terminalis

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pubic_arch

The pubic arch, also referred to as the ischiopubic arch, is part of the pelvis. It is formed by the convergence of the inferior rami of the ischium and pubis on either side, below the pubic symphysis. The angle at which they converge is known as the subpubic angle.1

enter image description here

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This region is known as "crotch". This is a very common word that many English speakers know, but it may be difficult to uncover in an internet search if the word is not already known. Many people also call this region "groin" but that is not anatomically correct nomenclature. The following definition fits conditions of the question precisely:

In humans, the crotch is the bottom of the pelvis (the region of the body where the legs join the torso) and is often considered to include the groin and genitals.

The following is a picture of a "frog crotch arrow" which illustrates the concept of "crotch":

enter image description here

"Crotch" is used to indicate this sort of arrangement or shape, which mirrors precisely the arrangement of human legs and the space in between.

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That area is the perineum (wikipedia):

perineum

The perineum is the space between the anus and scrotum in the male and between the anus and the vulva in the female

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  • The perineum is behind the genitals, while my question asks about the area to the side of the genitals. Also, the perienum (Greek for "dam") is raised while the area I ask about is depressed. I am sorely tempted to post an image of the area I mean, but I suspect I will get banned if I do.
    – user358034
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 14:37
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    @B.L.E. - You can always provide a link to the image.
    – Justin
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 14:38
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    @Justin Good to know. I'm at work now, but will find a siutable image tonight, when I get home (about in three hours).
    – user358034
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 14:39
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    To get this clear, @B.L.E., you are looking for something at the underside of the torso, between the genitals and the legs? I may not be a standard human being, but the are next to my genitals most certainly extends into what I consider the front of my body. I'll wait for the link, I guess :)
    – oerkelens
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 14:58
  • @oerkelens I have added a link to an image in my question. –– In my body, the medial compartment of the thigh, including the adductor muscles, and the sinews connecting the thigh muscles to the pelvis at the public crest, clearly delimit the groin on the front part of my body from the area in question on the underside of my trunk. You can feel the taut tring of sinew and muscle that streches from the leg to below the upper end of your genitals if you move your leg to the side.
    – user358034
    Commented Aug 18, 2019 at 19:54
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Gracilis muscle is the closest thing I could find

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    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Jan 4, 2023 at 22:45
  • It would also represent an area greater than what the OP is looking for.
    – Joachim
    Commented Jan 5, 2023 at 11:46

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