clitoris
Americannoun
-
the erectile organ of the vulva, used exclusively for sexual arousal and stimulation: located inside of the vulva except for the protruding glans.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of clitoris
First recorded in 1605–15; from Greek kleitorís, akin to kleíein “to shut”
Explanation
The clitoris is a female sexual organ. A certain type of embryonic tissue develops either into a penis, in male babies, or a clitoris, in female babies. Like the penis, the clitoris has many sensitive nerve endings. It is located at the anterior end of the vulva.
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.
In the womb, they will develop a male anatomy until the final stage of growing a penis - and when they are not able to, then they’ll start developing a vulva and a clitoris.
From BBC • Aug. 8, 2024
For example, artificial insemination studies in cattle have found stimulation of the clitoris can help increase pregnancy.
From Scientific American • Feb. 16, 2023
Even in other groups of animals where the existence of a clitoris is not in question, such as lizards, investigations of its function have been hemmed in by cultural attitudes.
From New York Times • Dec. 13, 2022
Do you feel uncomfortable saying the word clitoris?
From The Guardian • Oct. 8, 2019
The external sex organs of the female are: the vulva, hymen, and clitoris.
From Woman Her Sex and Love Life by Robinson, William J.
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.
