genital
[jen-i-tl]
- of, relating to, or noting reproduction.
- of or relating to the sexual organs.
- Psychoanalysis.
- of or relating to the genital phase of psychosexual development.
- of or relating to the centering of sexual impulses and excitation on the genitalia.
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Origin of genital
1350–1400; Middle English < Old French < Latin genitālis of birth, equivalent to genit(us), past participle of gignere to beget + -ālis -al1
genitals
[jen-i-tlz]
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Origin of genitals
plural noun use of genital
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for genital
Contemporary Examples
Genital mutilation is practiced in various forms across the African continent, from Nigeria to Somalia.
Genital mutilation, for example, is not a just a medical problem but a legal problem.
Historical Examples
Genital armature: all the processes concerned in copulation.
Explanation of Terms Used in EntomologyJohn. B. Smith
Genital, jen′i-tal, adj. belonging to generation or the act of producing.
Genital tuft: in Lepidoptera; an expansible tuft of fine hair believed to be scent-producing.
Explanation of Terms Used in EntomologyJohn. B. Smith
Genital duct diaulic, without open seminal groove; male and female apertures contiguous.
Genital duct always triaulic, and male and female apertures distant from each other.
genital
- of or relating to the sexual organs or to reproduction
- psychoanal relating to the mature stage of psychosexual development in which an affectionate relationship with one's sex partner is establishedCompare anal (def. 2), oral (def. 7), phallic (def. 2)
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Word Origin
C14: from Latin genitālis concerning birth, from gignere to beget
genitals
genitalia (ˌdʒɛnɪˈteɪlɪə, -ˈteɪljə)
- the sexual organs; the testicles and penis of a male or the labia, clitoris, and vagina of a femaleRelated adjective: venereal
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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 genital
adj.
late 14c., in membres genytal "the genitals," from Latin genitalis "pertaining to generation or birth" (also a by-name of the goddess Diana), from genitus, past participle of gignere "to beget" (see genus). As a noun meaning "sex organ" from mid-15c.
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genitals
n.
"reproductive organs," late 14c., from genital (adj.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
genital
(jĕn′ĭ-tl)- Of or relating to biological reproduction.
- Of or relating to the genitalia.
- Of or relating to the stage of psychosexual development in psychoanalytic theory beginning in puberty and during which the genitals become the focus of sexual gratification.
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- A reproductive organ, especially one of the external sex organs.
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genitals
(jĕn′ĭ-tlz)- Genitalia.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
genitals
[jĕn′ĭ-tlz]
- The organs of reproduction in animals, especially the external sex organs.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
genitals
The organs involved in reproduction. (See reproductive systems.)
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.