penis
Americannoun
-
penises,
plural
-
penes
plural
noun
-
penises
plural
-
The male reproductive organ of mammals and some reptiles and birds. In mammals, the penis contains the urethra, which carries urine from the bladder and releases sperm during reproduction.
-
A similar organ found in the males of some invertebrate animals.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of penis
First recorded in 1685–95, from Latin pēnis “tail, penis”; akin to Greek péos, Sanskrit pásas
Explanation
The penis is the male sexual organ. Boys and men and male animals all have penises. Kids and teens often giggle at the word penis, but it's just a word for a body part like "arm" or "leg." Well, a penis is a little different, since it's the organ males use for sex and urinating. Some men take a lot of pride in their penis, which in slang is most often called a dick. However, if you're talking about a dick with a parent or teacher, or you're writing about one in a paper, penis is the word you want to use.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Gardasil 9 HPV vaccine protects against types of HPV that can cause cancers of the mouth, throat, vulva, vagina, penis and anus.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2026
She leads nutrition education at the Feed Real Institute, an online certificate program founded in 2015 by Balaram, who also runs a company that sells air-dried dog treats like bull penis and rabbit feet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
The gruesome trials often require celebrities to eat delicacies like kangaroo anus, crocodile penis and sheep semen, or be trapped with creatures such as snakes, cockroaches and rats.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2025
The conditions include the removal of breasts for transgender men, the removal of the penis and testes for transgender women, and having undergone continuous hormonal treatment for at least two years before applying.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2024
I had a penis, and therefore I had to figure out what being male meant.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
We really have no authority to which we can confidently appeal, except the usage of good society: "Quem penes arbitrium est, et jus et norma loquendi."
From Notes and Queries, Number 208, October 22, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc by George Bell
Also, where are the MSS. often referred to in the History of the House of Yvery as then penes the Earl of Egmont; and also a folio of Pedigrees by Camden Russet?
From Notes and Queries, Number 182, April 23, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by George Bell
In a medley, contained in a curious and ancient MS. cantus, penes J.G.
From Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border, Volume 2 Consisting of Historical and Romantic Ballads, Collected in The Southern Counties of Scotland; with a Few of Modern Date, Founded Upon Local Tradition by Sir Walter Scott
Charm on a ring, olim penes W. Hamper, F.A.S.
From Notes and Queries, Number 59, December 14, 1850 by Various
Lower left: “Ex Tabella / a Paulo Calliari Verons. / depicta penes J: Smith Ven / J: B: Jackson Del Sculp & excud / 1741.”
From John Baptist Jackson 18th-Century Master of the Color Woodcut by Jacob Kainen
Snake penises - hemipenes - have been studied for decades.
From BBC ● Dec. 14, 2022
“Any kid can have any type of body,” the presentation states, adding that boys can have vulvas and girls can have penises.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 1, 2022
England's drug stores were stocked with bulls' penises, frogs' lungs, and powdered Egyptian mummy, which was evidently used against tuberculosis.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2021
At 28th Street, Scheen recounted the evolutionary tale of how male birds lost their penises, holding onto the metal subway pole for stability.
From New York Times ● Apr. 2, 2021
There is an example in an infant described in which there were two penises, each about 1/2 inch long, and a divided scrotal sac 21 inches long.
From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle
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.
