genital

[jen-i-tl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR genital ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

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.

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

Related formspost·gen·i·tal, adjectivepre·gen·i·tal, adjectivesub·gen·i·tal, adjective

genitals

[jen-i-tlz]

plural noun

genitalia.

Origin of genitals

plural noun use of genital

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

Related Words for genital

genitalia, nuts, gonads, vulva, testes, stones, pudenda

Examples from the Web for genital

Contemporary Examples of genital

Genital mutilation is practiced in various forms across the African continent, from Nigeria to Somalia.
Egypt: Stop Mutilating Little Girls!
Bel Trew
April 26, 2014
Genital mutilation, for example, is not a just a medical problem but a legal problem.
Female Judges From Around the Globe Convene in D.C.
Eve Conant
April 2, 2011

Historical Examples of genital

Genital armature: all the processes concerned in copulation.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Genital, jen′i-tal, adj. belonging to generation or the act of producing.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M)
Various
Genital tuft: in Lepidoptera; an expansible tuft of fine hair believed to be scent-producing.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Genital duct diaulic, without open seminal groove; male and female apertures contiguous.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5
Various
Genital duct always triaulic, and male and female apertures distant from each other.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5
Various

British Dictionary definitions for genital

genital

adjective

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)

Word Origin for genital

C14: from Latin genitālis concerning birth, from gignere to beget

genitals

genitalia (ˌdʒɛnɪˈteɪlɪə, -ˈteɪljə)

pl n

the sexual organs; the testicles and penis of a male or the labia, clitoris, and vagina of a femaleRelated adjective: venereal

Derived Formsgenitalic (ˌdʒɛnɪˈtælɪk), adjective

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.

genitals

"reproductive organs," late 14c., from genital (adj.).

genital in Medicine

genital

[jĕn′ĭ-tl]

adj.

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.