Groins

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An anatomical term referring to the region where the lower abdomen meets the thighs
2. In architecture, the structural supports that create arches in vaults or ceilings
3. A term used in coastal engineering to describe a structure built to protect shorelines from erosion

Etymology: The architectural sense of "groin" is a notable case of a word splitting into two unrelated meanings. The body-part sense comes from a different source entirely: Middle English "groynen" traces to Old French "groignier" and Old English "grunnian," both tied to the idea of grunting, which is why the anatomical word once sounded like a pig's noise. The architectural term is older and has a different lineage, descending from Old English "grynde," meaning "abyss," and possibly also "depression" or "hollow." That sense links it to the ancient Germanic root behind "ground," so a word for a deep pit or hollow eventually came to name the sharp ridge where two vaults meet. Over the centuries, the two words drifted together in spelling and sound. The Middle English "grinde" and "grynde" gradually became "grine," and the vowel shifted under the influence of "loin," the anatomical term it began to resemble. By the time English writers reached the modern form, the architectural word had absorbed the spelling of the body-part word, and the two now look identical despite having separate ancestries.

Synonyms: folds, bends