condom

[kon-duh m, kuhn-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR condom ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a thin sheath, usually of very thin rubber, worn over the penis during sexual intercourse to prevent conception or sexually transmitted disease.

Origin of condom

First recorded in 1700–10; of obscure origin, but popularly supposed to have been named after an 18th-century English physician, who allegedly devised it

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for condom

contraceptive, prophylactic, raincoat, safe, rubber, protection, sheath, johnny

Examples from the Web for condom

Contemporary Examples of condom

ELIOT: WE KNOW YOU WORE BLACK SOCKS, BUT DID YOU WEAR A CONDOM?
Eliot Spitzer Mobbed by Press, Heckled at First Campaign Stop
David Freedlander
July 9, 2013

Historical Examples of condom

The history of Condom as an ecclesiastical see is very brief.
The Cathedrals of Southern France
Francis Miltoun
After visiting Rome, he was made bishop of Condom 937 , and in 1763 was translated to the archbishopric of Toulouse.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 16, Slice 8
Various
He turned to the left to reach this place, and found the road full of people returning from the market at Condom.
The Forty-Five Guardsmen
Alexandre Dumas
Condom (Condomus) was founded in the 8th century, but in 840 was sacked and burnt by the Normans.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7
Various
Condom was, during the middle ages, a fortress of considerable strength.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7
Various

British Dictionary definitions for condom

condom

noun

a sheathlike covering of thin rubber worn on the penis or in the vagina during sexual intercourse to prevent conception or infection

Word Origin for condom

C18: of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for condom

1706, traditionally named for a British physician during reign of Charles II (a story traceable to 1709), but there is no evidence for that. Also spelled condam, quondam, which suggests it may be from Italian guantone, from guanto "a glove." A word omitted in the original OED (c.1890) and not used openly in the U.S. and not advertised in mass media until November 1986 speech by Surgeon General C. Everett Koop on AIDS prevention. Cf. prophylactic.

condom in Medicine

condom

[kŏn′dəm]

n.

A flexible sheath, usually made of thin rubber or latex, designed to cover the penis or vagina during sexual intercourse for contraceptive purposes or as a means of preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

A similar device, consisting of a loose-fitting polyurethane sheath closed at one end, that is inserted into the vagina before sexual intercourse.female condom