perineum

American  

[per-uh-nee-uhm] / ˌpɛr əˈni əm /

noun

Anatomy.

perinea plural

1. the area in front of the anus extending to the fourchette of the vulva in the female and to the scrotum in the male.

2. the diamond-shaped area corresponding to the outlet of the pelvis, containing the anus and vulva or the roots of the penis.

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perineum British  

/ ˌpɛrɪˈniːəm /

noun

1. the region of the body between the anus and the genital organs, including some of the underlying structures

2. the nearly diamond-shaped surface of the human trunk between the thighs

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perineum Scientific  

/ pĕr′ə-nē′əm /

perinea plural

1. The region between the scrotum and the anus in males, and between the posterior vulva and the anus in females.

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Other Word Forms

• perineal
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of perineum

First recorded in 1625–35; from New Latin, from Greek períneon, períneos, perínaios, apparently equivalent to per(i)- peri- + ine-, ina-, stems of ineîn, inân to “evacuate, empty” + -(i)os, -(i)on noun suffix

Example Sentences

"There's a lot of healing that happens. It takes about six weeks for the uterus to return to its pre-pregnancy size. Any tears in the vagina or perineum are also healing."

From BBC • Sep. 22, 2025

In 2006, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classified use of talc powder in the perineum area - the pelvic region between the legs - as “possibly carcinogenic.”

From Reuters • Dec. 3, 2019

In the case of the perineum, the degree of tearing is ranked from first- to fourth-degree.

From Slate • Apr. 22, 2019

The membranous urethra passes through the deep muscles of the perineum, where it is invested by the overlying urethral sphincters.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

It is attended with slight weakness of the legs, anæsthesia involving a saddle-shaped area over the buttocks and back of the thighs, the perineum, scrotum, and penis.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander