detumescence

[ dee-too-mes-uh ns, -tyoo- ]

/ ˌdi tuˈmɛs əns, -tyu- /

noun

reduction or subsidence of swelling.

Nearby words

Origin of detumescence

1670–80; < Latin dētumēsc(ere) to cease swelling (dē- de- + tumēscere to swell) + -ence; see tumescent

Related formsde·tu·mes·cent, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for detumescence

There is the period of tumescence, and the ecbole constituting the detumescence.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 1 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis
I have previously alluded to 88masturbation as a manifestation of the detumescence impulse.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll
In man the whole process of detumescence, when it has once really begun, only occupies a few moments.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 5 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis
This reflex is always present in healthy adult subjects and indicates the integrity of the physical mechanism of detumescence.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 5 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

The act of exhibition itself gratifies the sexual impulse, and usually it suffices to replace both tumescence and detumescence.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 5 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for detumescence

detumescence

/ (ˌdiːtjʊˈmɛsəns) /

noun

the subsidence of a swelling, esp the return of a swollen organ, such as the penis, to the flaccid state

Word Origin for detumescence

C17: from Latin dētumescere to cease swelling, from de- + tumescere, from tumēre to swell

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

Medicine definitions for detumescence

detumescence

[ dē′tōō-mĕs′əns ]

n.

Reduction, subsidence, or lessening of a swelling, especially the restoration of a swollen organ or part to normal size.