phallus

noun, plural phal·li

[fal-ahy] , phal·lus·es.

an image of the male reproductive organ, especially that carried in procession in ancient festivals of Dionysus, or Bacchus, symbolizing the generative power in nature.

Anatomy. the penis, the clitoris, or the sexually undifferentiated embryonic organ out of which either of these develops.

Origin:
1605–15; < Latin < Greek phallós penis

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source

Link To phallus

Collins

World English Dictionary

phallus (ˈfæləs)

—n , pl -luses, -li
1.	another word for penis
2.	an image of the penis, esp as a religious symbol of reproductive power

[C17: via Late Latin from Greek phallos]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

00:10

Phallus is always a great word to know.

So is deltoid. Does it mean:

the system by which oxygen is taken into the body; in mammals the system includes the nasal passages, pharynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs

a large, triangular muscle covering the joint of the shoulder, the action of which raises the arm away from the side of the body

LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

phallus

1610s, "an image of the penis," from L. phallus, from Gk. phallos "penis," also "carving or image of an erect penis (symbolizing the generative power in nature) used in the cult of Dionysus," from PIE *bhel-no-, from base *bhel- (2) "to inflate, swell" (cf. O.N. boli "bull," O.E. bulluc "little bull,"

and possibly Gk. phalle "whale;" see bole). Used of the penis itself (often in symbolic context) from 1924, originally in jargon of psychoanalysis. Phallic "pertaining to the phallus" (1789) is from Gk. phallikos, from phallos. First record of phallic symbol is from 1907.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source

American Heritage

Medical Dictionary

phallus phal·lus (fāl'əs)
n. pl. phal·lus·es or phal·li (fāl'ī')

The penis.
The sexually undifferentiated tissue in an embryo that becomes the penis or clitoris.
The immature penis considered in psychoanalysis as the libidinal object of infantile sexuality in the male.

Matching Quote

"The advantage man enjoys, which makes itself felt from his childhood, is that his vocation as a human being in no way runs counter to his destiny as a male. Through his identification of phallus and transcendence, it turns out that his social and spiritual successes endow him with a virile prestige. He is not divided. Whereas it is required of woman that in order to realize her femininity she must make herself object and prey, which is to say that she must renounce her claims as a sovereign subject. It is this conflict that especially marks the situation of the emancipated woman. She refuses to confine herself to her role as female, because she will not accept mutilation; but it would also be a mutilation to repudiate her sex. Man is a human being with sexuality; woman is a complete individual, equal to the male, only if she too is a human being with sexuality. To renounce her femininity is to renounce a part of her humanity."

-Simone De Beauvoir

Use Dictionary.com faster without ads >>

Related Words

stinkhorn

Partners:Word Bloglines Citysearch The Daily Beast Ask Answers Ask Kids Life123 Sendori Home Advisor

About PRIVACY POLICY Terms API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Suggest a Word Help