corpus cavernosum

/ ˌkævəˈnəʊsəm /

noun

1. either of two masses of erectile tissue in the penis of mammals

Word History and Origins

Origin of corpus cavernosum¹

New Latin, literally: cavernous body

Example Sentences

Since this outer layer does not expand, once the corpus cavernosum reaches capacity, the penis will become hard and rigid in order to allow penetration at the time of sexual intimacy.

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The corpus cavernosum is controlled by a very special nerve, aptly named the cavernosal nerve.

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Those nerves coalesce into bundles that run down the back of each corpus cavernosum – the ‘cavernous bodies’ present in both sexes, which stiffen through being engorged with blood, but which were once thought to be inflated by the pneuma, or spirit, of sexual desire.

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In the center of the penis lies a single corpus cavernosum penis, shown in cross section proximal to the baculum in Figure 1c.

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The thick-walled urethra lies ventral to the curved corpus cavernosum.

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