First recorded in 1650–60, anus is from the Latin word ānus ring, anus
< Latin -ānus; see -an
The anus is the hole in the middle of your buttocks. When you poop or fart, you're using your anus. When you talk about your anus, you're using a formal, scientific word. Many kids and adults are more likely to use a slangy term like butthole or bunghole when discussing their anus, but if you're speaking to adults or writing a paper, anus is the word you want. The anus might seem like a funny part of the body, and maybe it is, but it's also incredibly important. Without an anus, you'd die.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Under existing Dutch rules, if you have a surname considered ridiculous such as Anus, Garlic or Naked-born, there is no requirement to prove it is undesirable.
From BBC • Sep. 9, 2021
In these bookcases, for example, there is a book I ordered from Amazon based on the title alone: “How to Good-bye Depression: If You Constrict Anus 100 Times Everyday. Malarkey? Or Effective Way?”
From Washington Post • Oct. 18, 2019
Who can deny the wisdom of the French judge who said non to the name Nutella, or the Danish authorities who intervened to prevent lunatics from christening their newborns Anus?
From Slate • Mar. 10, 2016
No more risible translation of signs, either: In one fell swoop, the Dongda Anus Hospital, a much-photographed Beijing tourist attraction, became the Dongda Proctology Hospital.
From New York Times • Aug. 16, 2015
Aurea Anus, called in the Moscouites tongue, Slata Baba, is an Idol at the mouthe of Obi in the prouince of Obdora, standing on the furthest banke toward the sea.
From The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 04 by Hakluyt, Richard
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
