groin vs crotch

What's the difference between (humanly anatomical) "groin" and "crotch". According to the unbelievably helpful definitions from the OALD 6:

• crotch: the part of the body where the legs join at the top, including the area around the genitals
• groin: the part of the body where the legs join at the top including the area around the genitals (=sex organs)

I can't find a pictorial comparison so I'm still very confused.

Solution 1:

Yes, they are labels for the same area of the body but have different connotations, collocations and separate other meanings.

• groin has another related meaning in architecture, for where two arches meet at a right angle
• you can have a groin injury which is in the muscles and tendons from the legs that attach to the pelvis near the perineum
• crotch has a related meaning for where a large branch separates from the main trunk of the tree or the trunk splits into two parts (specifically the 'vee' shaped area).
• you can be kicked in the crotch as a euphemism for being kicked in the testicles, but being kicked in the groin doesn't necessarily imply testicles.

Solution 2:

The groin is where the elastic sits in traditional fitted underwear (panties for women, tighty whities or briefs for men), on the inside of the top of the thigh. If you look at a simple plastic doll that has legs that can turn and change their angle from the body, the groin is the place where the two parts come together (body and leg), near where the genitals would be if a doll had genitals.

To understand crotch, there are two things to think about. One is the crotch of a tree. That's a place where the trunk forks, and you end up with something Y-shaped. It's the part of the tree that's most vulnerable to damage from an ice storm, because the main trunk could split in two there.

The second thing to think about is rappers who grab their crotch on stage. I once heard a rapper explain in an interview with Terri Gross on Fresh Air that this gesture comes from fear. I'm sure there are other explanations related to bravado.

At any rate, groin is a precise location on the body, but crotch is more vague, it's that general area that would be covered up with a fig leaf in certain paintings.

When you go to the doctor and want to show him or her a questionable mole or bump or rash or whatever, you would not say that it is in your crotch area. Well, you could, but then the doctor would think you are a little crude. In this context, it would be much better to use a more precise word to describe exactly where the concern is located.

Solution 3:

Groin is a technical word meaning: The groin is actually a group of five muscles that attach the thigh to the pelvis, and everyone has these muscles. They are also called the "adductors." Thus, one has an injury to the groin.

Crotch: In humans, the crotch is the bottom of the pelvis, the region of the body where the legs join the torso, and is often considered to include the groin and genitals. By extension, the crotch of a tree. One can have what men call crotch itch.

The crotch includes the groin and genitals whereas the groin is a group of muscles, technically. Very simple.