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definitions

penis envy

noun Psychoanalysis.

the repressed wish of a female to possess a penis.

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Nearby words

  1. peninsular,
  2. peninsular state,
  3. peninsular war,
  4. peninsulate,
  5. penis,
  6. penischisis,
  7. penitence,
  8. penitent,
  9. penitente,
  10. penitentes

Origin of penis envy

First recorded in 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for penis envy

penis envy

noun

psychoanal a Freudian concept in which envy of the penis is postulated as the cause for some of the characteristics found in women
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
Culture definitions for penis envy

penis envy

In Freudian theory, the repressed desire of females to possess a penis.

Note

Penis envy is also used generally to mean a supposed female envy of men.
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.