penis

pe·nis

noun \ˈpē-nəs\

plural pe·nis·es also pe·nes \ˈpē-(ˌ)nēz\

Definition of PENIS

: a male erectile organ of copulation by which urine and semen are discharged from the body and that develops from the same embryonic mass of tissue as the clitoris

Origin of PENIS

Latin, penis, tail; akin to Old High German faselt penis, Greek peos

First Known Use: 1668

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

Rhymes with PENIS

genus, lenis, venous, Venus

pe·nis

noun \ˈpē-nəs\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; pe·nes \ˈpē-(ˌ)nēz\ (audio pronunciation)or ; pe·nis·es

Medical Definition of PENIS

: the male copulatory organ of a higher vertebrate animal that in mammals including humans usually functions as the channel by which urine leaves the body and is typically a cylindrical organ that is suspended from the pubic arch, contains a pair of large lateral corpora cavernosa and a smaller ventromedial corpus cavernosum containing the urethra, and has a terminal glans enclosing the ends of the corpora cavernosa, covered by mucous membrane, and sheathed by a foreskin continuous with the skin covering the body of the organ

Illustration of PENIS

penis

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Male sex organ, which also provides the channel for urine to leave the body. Three long columns of tissue extend through its length, covered by elastic tissue and a thin layer of skin. One expands at the tip into a mushroom-shaped structure (glans penis) and contains the urethra (see urinary system), which ends in a slitlike opening. In sexual arousal, blood fills spaces in the tissue, and blood vessels constrict to hold it there, enlarging and hardening the penis in an erection. The foreskin, a circular fold of skin covering the glans, is often removed (see circumcision). See also reproductive system.