female genital mutilation

noun

: a procedure performed especially as a cultural rite that typically includes the total or partial excision of the female external genitalia and especially the clitoris and labia minora and that is now outlawed in many nations including the U.S.
abbreviation FGM

called also female circumcision

compare infibulation

Examples of female genital mutilation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Over the past year, Gambia — a tiny, majority Muslim country — has been engulfed in a nationwide debate about female genital cutting, which is widely known as female genital mutilation (FGM). Rachel Chason, Washington Post, 14 July 2024 Coulibaly, already having worked as an actress and journalist, was also a public opponent of female genital mutilation, a practice known to occur throughout Africa and that she had been subjected to herself. Indiewire Staff, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2024 As the Bahs understood it, cutting – a practice known internationally as female genital mutilation, or FGM – was a core tenet of their religion and their culture. Ayen Deng Bior, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 July 2024 The West African country could become the first in the world to overturn a prohibition on female genital mutilation. Rachel Chason, Washington Post, 14 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for female genital mutilation 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'female genital mutilation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of female genital mutilation was in 1979

Dictionary Entries Near female genital mutilation

Cite this Entry

“Female genital mutilation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/female%20genital%20mutilation. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

female genital mutilation

noun
: a procedure performed especially as a cultural rite that typically includes the total or partial excision of the female external genitalia and especially the clitoris and labia minora and that is now outlawed in many nations including the United States
abbreviation FGM

called also female circumcision

compare infibulation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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