penis

noun pe·nis \ ˈpē-nəs \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

Definition of penis

plural penises also penes play \ˈpē-(ˌ)nēz\

: 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

See penis defined for English-language learners

See penis defined for kids

Recent Examples of penis from the Web

Myers, who was in the same class, had the complementary assignment of 10 penises.

— malcolm gay, BostonGlobe.com, "Sex, power, and photography. At MassArt, how far is too far?," 4 Apr. 2018
Carlos: Rape has existed ever since penises and vaginas have existed.

— The Cut, "Teenage Brothers on Sex, Social Media, and What Their Parents Don’t Understand," 5 Mar. 2018
The best part of Hedonism isn't the penises or the all-inclusive drinks or the spying on other couples or the Caribbean breezes felt on nipples—not any of the lascivious or lurid stuff.

— kaitlin menza, Marie Claire, "Inside a Two-Day Sex Party at a Nudist Resort," 29 Sep. 2017
There were jello shots and foam parties and breasts and penises everywhere the eye could see.

— sasha brown-worsham, Redbook, "What I Learned In My Week With My Husband At a Nudist Swingers Resort," 8 Mar. 2017
Anything going near your genital area should be as clean as possible, and that includes penises, hands, mouths, and toys.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "How to Prevent Annoying (and Painful) UTIs," 6 Mar. 2018
The report cited crude comments by male workers about female workers' breasts and buttocks, and graffiti of penises carved into tables and spray-painted on floors, as well as physical assaults over many years that have already cost the company.

— phoebe wall howard, Detroit Free Press, "Hackett visits factory workers, apologizes for Ford's workplace harassment in Chicago," 5 Jan. 2018
Cupid Ojala has done a coloring book in which men have penises where there hands should be, which strikes me as awkward.

— thomas hine, Philly.com, "Cary Leibowitz at the ICA: 'I feel sorry for Leona Helmsley'," 21 Feb. 2018
Zawaideh claimed that, among other things, White sent her inappropriate text messages, including images of penises, according to the Washington Post.

— stephanie petit, PEOPLE.com, "Shaun White Says He's 'Changed,' Apologizes for Calling Sexual Harassment Allegations 'Gossip'," 14 Feb. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of penis

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1578

See Words from the same year

Other Anatomy Terms

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

PENIS Defined for English Language Learners

penis

noun

Definition of penis for English Language Learners

: the part of the body of men and male animals that is used for sex and through which urine leaves the body

PENIS Defined for Kids

penis

noun pe·nis \ ˈpē-nəs \

Definition of penis for Students

plural penises also penes \-ˌnēz\

: a male organ in mammals through which urine and sperm leave the body

Medical Dictionary

penis

noun pe·nis \ ˈpē-nəs \

medical Definition of penis

plural penes play \ˈpē-(ˌ)nēz\ or penises

: the male erectile copulatory organ of a higher vertebrate animal developing from the genital tubercle that in mammals including humans usually functions as the channel by which urine and semen are discharged from 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