penis
Americannoun
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penises,
plural
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penes
plural
noun
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penises
plural
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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.
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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
To determine the order in which they would skydive from helicopters, the celebrities were told to drink cocktails of blended bull penis and fish eyes with a garnish made from vomit fruit.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2024
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
Webster’s had said that hypospadias was an abnormality of the penis.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
And every city of the Roman empire could testify to the truth of what he added: “Sed vobis maximum discrimen penes quos aurum et opes, præcipuæ bellorum causæ.”
From Church and State as Seen in the Formation of Christendom by T. W. (Thomas William) Allies
Also where are the MSS. formerly penes Earl of Egmont, often quoted in the History of the House of Yvery?
From Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 93, August 9, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Various
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
Received from Mr. James of Dunekier eighty pund sexteen shilling six penes Scots in full of the within account depussd by me.
From Life of Adam Smith by John Rae
Constantius, the Emperor, son of Constantine the Great,little inferior to his father, a worthy warrior, and good man, died the third of November: "Ex veteri Calendario penes me".
From Miscellanies Upon Various Subjects by John Aubrey
But I am frustrated as a medical doctor that a complex issue like fertility—and the trumped-up threat of small penises and “population collapse”—was hijacked without scientific merit as the main argument against plastic.
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026
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
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.
