clitoris

[ klit-er-is, kli-tawr-is ]

/ ˈklɪt ər ɪs, klɪˈtɔr ɪs /

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noun Anatomy.

the erectile organ of the vulva, homologous to the penis of the male.

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Origin of clitoris

1605–15; <Greek kleitorís, akin to kleíein to shut

OTHER WORDS FROM clitoris

clit·o·ral, cli·tor·ic

[kli-tawr-ik, -tor-], /klɪˈtɔr ɪk, -ˈtɒr-/, clit·o·rid·e·an

[klit-uh-rid-ee-uhn], /ˌklɪt əˈrɪd i ən/, adjective

Words nearby clitoris

clitellum, clithral, clitic, cliticize, clitoridectomy, clitoris, Clive, Cliveden, clivers, clivia, clk.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clitoris in a sentence

The most promising was ginseng root, which is used in herbal medicine in East Asia and Appalachia, and appears to assist the flow of blood into the corpora cavernosa—the spongy tissues in the clitoris and penis that fill up during arousal.
Research on aphrodisiacs is kind of unsatisfying|Philip Kiefer|February 14, 2022|Popular-Science
For example, those born with a larger than typical clitoris may have it reduced in size.
Not Everyone Is Male Or Female – The Growing Controversy Over Sex Designation|LGBTQ-Editor|February 13, 2022|No Straight News
One reason may be that the prominent female dolphin clitoris provides sexual pleasure.
Female dolphins have a clitoris much like humans’|Lesley Evans Ogden|January 10, 2022|Science News
The theory ran that a woman’s sexual organs caused her madness, so cutting off her clitoris would calm her.
Declared Insane for Speaking Up: The Dark American History of Silencing Women Through Psychiatry|Kate Moore|June 22, 2021|Time

Barbizon alum Gael Greene would write that the two greatest discoveries of the 20th century were “the Cuisinart and the clitoris,” but those were still a way off.
The hotel that nurtured ambitious women and their New York dreams|Mary Jo Murphy|March 26, 2021|Washington Post
Lawless said he found the fair punctuated with games like Orgasm Bingo, Pin the Clitoris on the Vulva, and the Tent of Consent.
Graham Spanier: Penn State’s Next Indictment?|Diane Dimond|August 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The “Butterfly Clitoris Stimulator” becomes, simply, the “Vibrating Stimulator.”
Religious Sex-Toy Sites Vow to Save Marriages|Allison Yarrow|December 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST
It is located about an inch below the Clitoris and is just above the Vaginal Orifice.
Private Sex Advice to Women|R. B. Armitage

British Dictionary definitions for clitoris

clitoris

/ (ˈklɪtərɪs, ˈklaɪ-) /

noun

a part of the female genitalia consisting of a small elongated highly sensitive erectile organ at the front of the vulva: homologous with the penis

Derived forms of clitoris

clitoral, adjective

Word Origin for clitoris

C17: from New Latin, from Greek kleitoris; related to Greek kleiein to close

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

Scientific definitions for clitoris

clitoris

[ klĭt′ər-ĭs, klĭ-tôr′ĭs ]

A sensitive external organ of the reproductive system in female mammals and some other animals that is capable of becoming erect. It is located above or in front of the urethra.