@drak That's true. That is one way to try to interpret it. I think what it might be, though, is that the distinction between "hiding" and "keeping" would not necessarily translate to our concepts of those same words. This is pure speculation, but I'm wondering if perhaps the apparent disparity in meanings is just an artifact of our attempt to map distinctions that we're familiar with.

If you think about words like hide, conceal, keep, preserve, all of these words indicate an intent to isolate something. I think it's safe to say that the meaning was context-dependent, but the essence of the concept of taman can be consistent through all of the definitions we've applied.

It's also possible that there was contamination when the word entered the vernacular. The goddess Diana was associated with childbirth.Diana is of a completely different derivation, unrelated to the Aramaic dianoia (mind). It's not uncommon for definitions to blend together when they enter the common vernacular, even when the appearance of a common root is only superficial. So it's reasonable to speculate that this contributed to the word vagina being used in an anatomical sense as it relates to childbirth. (In combination, of course, with the obvious metaphor of the sword and the sheath.)