The leading Dutch dictionary Dikke van Dale has said it will include a new term for the labia, "vulvalippen", in its upcoming online edition. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing BBC News.

The traditional term, "schaamlippen", translates as "shame lips". For some, it is just one of countless examples that are outdated and loaded with stigma.

European campaigners have long been calling for a rewrite of terms used to discuss women's bodies, sexuality and health. What unites them is the desire to move away from terms that are often seen as misogynistic or judgmental.

"Language shapes how we see ourselves," says Shari Klein, one of the founders of the Schaamteloos campaign, which targets words that use "schaam" or "shame".

"It's crucial people have a more neutral, anatomically correct word - not a word that links to shame, whether consciously or sub-consciously," she says.

Calls to use vulvalippen aren't new but campaigners say inclusion in the dictionary may be a sign society is "finally ready for change".

Esther Van der Valk, part of prominent Dutch feminist group Dolle Mina, says it's also about sex positivity and reducing body shaming.

The campaign's next steps are to convince doctors and officials to use vulvalippen in leaflets and consultations.

Ton den Boon, editor of the dictionary, says adding vulvalippen is justified because it is becoming more established in the language and is being used more in the media, biology text books, medical leaflets and is even seen in veterinary medicine.

But whether it will be adopted widely is yet to be seen.

Other Dutch words, relevant to both men and women, could carry similar connotations - from "schaam haar" (pubic or shame hair) or "schaam been" (pubic or shame bone) to even "schaam lice" for pubic lice.

However, critics say changing a word will not necessarily change people's lives.

The campaign mirrors attempts in Germany, where in 2018 journalists Gunda Windmüller and Mithu Sanyal started a petition to change "Shamlippen" to "Vulvalippen".

Windmüller says she was compelled to after a gynaecologist told her of the shame some women carry when discussing their bodies and having medical examinations.

When writing her article, she realised she couldn't even mention anatomy without including the word shame.

"Vulvalippen" has not yet been adopted by a German dictionary, but Windmüller has spotted it in conversations, school textbooks and women's magazines.

Her hope is the Dutch move will ignite support closer to home.

Similarly, in Sweden a new word for "hymen" was added in the academic dictionary after a 2009 campaign.

The association for sexuality education (RFSU) felt traditional term "mödomshinna", which translates as maidenhood skin or virginity membrane, was anatomically inaccurate and did nothing to dispel myths around hymens and virginity.

The new term "slidkrans" translates as vaginal corona - reflecting the fact the hymen is often folds of tissue in a ring, rather than a seal that breaks once.

"With a new word we can challenge the myths that seek to control women's sexuality and freedom," Sonja Ghaderi of the RFSU says.

Ghaderi says slidkrans is used particularly by healthcare professionals and in youth clinics but adds misinformation still exists emphasising the "need to change social constructs".

In the UK, feminist podcast host Nicola Denson-Elliott started a petition to replace the word "hysterectomy" (surgical removal of the womb) with "uterectomy".

She argues, as others have, that hysterectomy has linguistic links with hysteria, once seen as a disease of emotional excess in women, and wants a more "anatomically correct term" not one "associated with emotion".

The petition describes it as "medical misogyny", adding: "Women deserve terminology that respects them."

Linguistics researcher Dr Beth Malory says any changes need to be researched first.