YONI is a Sanskrit word with various meanings such as "womb, vulva, vagina; place of birth, source, origin, spring; abode, home, lair, nest; family, race, stock, caste," and so on. It is etymologically derived from the verbal root yu ("join, unite, fasten, or harness"), from which is derived the English yoke; ni is added to the root to form a noun with active meaning. Thus yoni is "what joins or unites." The word yoga, derived from the same root, means "union, connection." The two words yoni and yoga are thus similar to the word religion, from the Latin religio ("binding, fastening, reuniting, or relinking").

Icons representing the yoni alone or in conjunction with the male generative organ, the liṅga, are widespread in both popular Hinduism and in the Tantric traditions of India; such images, known in English as yonis and lingams, stand for the generic goddess, Dev...