Clitoral Hood

From Encyclopedia of Sex and Sexuality

A fold of tissue that surrounds the clitoris, acting as a protection for it. It is actually an extension of the inner lips of the vulva and is comparable to the prepuce, or foreskin, that covers the end of the penis of an uncircumcised male. While in male circumcision only the prepuce is removed, in some cultures where clitoridectomy is performed, both the clitoris and the clitoral hood are removed.

During sexual arousal, the clitoris begins to enlarge and emerge from the clitoral hood; further stimulation precipitates the retreat of the clitoris back into the folds of the clitoral hood, and in most women it is completely hidden by the time orgasm is reached. To some observers, this is a dramatic sequence, akin to the unfolding of a flower in the morning sunlight and its closing in the evening.