penis envy


nounPsychoanalysis.
  1. the repressed wish of a female to possess a penis.

Origin of penis envy

1
First recorded in 1920–25

Words Nearby penis envy

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British Dictionary definitions for penis envy

penis envy

noun
  1. psychoanal a Freudian concept in which envy of the penis is postulated as the cause for some of the characteristics found in women

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for penis envy

penis envy

In Freudian theory, the repressed desire of females to possess a penis.

Notes for penis envy

Penis envy is also used generally to mean a supposed female envy of men.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.