circumcision

noun cir·cum·ci·sion \ ˌsər-kᵊm-ˈsi-zhən , ˈsər-kᵊm-ˌ \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of circumcision

1 a : the act of circumcising; especially : the cutting off of the foreskin of males that is practiced as a religious rite by Jews and Muslims and by others as a social custom or for potential health benefits (such as improved hygiene)

b : female genital mutilation

c : the condition of being circumcised

2 capitalized : January 1 observed as a festival in some churches in commemoration of the circumcision of Jesus

See circumcision defined for kids

Recent Examples of circumcision from the Web

Rozin’s case study for examining clashing cultural perspectives is the practice variously referred to as female circumcision or female genital mutilation (the more loaded term).

— julia m. klein, Philly.com, "'Human Rites' at InterAct Theatre: Invigorating, crackling, provocative," 29 Mar. 2018
The result is a rate of circumcision around 10 percent.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "The World Is Better Than Ever. Why Are We Miserable?," 9 Mar. 2018
Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision or cutting, or FGM, has been condemned by the United Nations and outlawed in the United States.

— Washington Post, "National Digest: Detroit judges dismisses a charge in female genital mutilation case," 6 Mar. 2018
That's how the Reader's Leah Pickett describes South African film The Wound, set in a rural Xhosa community that initiates teenage boys into manhood through circumcision.

— rachel yang, Chicago Reader, "Arts / Do This A Gilda Radner play and more of the best things to do in Chicago this week," 19 Feb. 2018
Doctor Roberto Viel is a qualified plastic surgeon who works in Dubai and London, and has been performing penoplasties, adult circumcisions, and cosmetic work on scrotums for years.

— david levesley, GQ, "Did You Know You Could Get Your Scrotum Enlarged?," 24 Jan. 2018
Music has been central to the ritualized sexuality of fertility, circumcision, puberty and wedding ceremonies cross-culturally and from time immemorial.

— franz nicolay, New York Times, "‘Good Booty’: The Sexual Power of Music," 29 Aug. 2017
Surgeons at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town transplanted a donor's organ onto a twenty-one-year-old who'd lost his penis three years earlier after a botched circumcision resulted in gangrene.

— josh dean, Esquire, "This Is the Story of America's First Penis Transplant," 15 Feb. 2017
And while some people fear circumcision reduces sensitivity, one recent — but small — study found that's not true.

— hannah orenstein, Seventeen, "11 Things You've Always Wanted to Know About Penises But Were Too Embarrassed to Ask," 14 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'circumcision.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.