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
That's because it is often detected only when the prostate is big enough to have impacted the urethra, the tube that connects the bladder to the penis.
From BBC ● May 19, 2025
The prostate is shaped like a doughnut surrounding the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis.
From New York Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
I had a penis, and therefore I had to figure out what being male meant.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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
Cradock—I should like to know whether the MSS. of Randle Holme, of Chester, 1670, which afterwards were penes Dr. Latham, are still accessible?
From Notes and Queries, Number 56, November 23, 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
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
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
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
The smartest among you will use a stand-to-pee device, which makes it possible for people without penises to pee without pulling down their pants.
From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2021
I started going to twee pet shops for cow tracheae, bull penises and limited-ingredient-grain-free-single-source kibble.
From Salon ● Nov. 10, 2018
Gore, reported by Velpeau, has seen an infant of eight and one-half months with two penises and three lower extremities.
From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
