perineum
Americannoun
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the area in front of the anus extending to the fourchette of the vulva in the female and to the scrotum in the male.
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the diamond-shaped area corresponding to the outlet of the pelvis, containing the anus and vulva or the roots of the penis.
noun
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the region of the body between the anus and the genital organs, including some of the underlying structures
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the nearly diamond-shaped surface of the human trunk between the thighs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"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
Unlike the rectum, the perineum can be easily disinfected, and also has another major advantage: It can provide a clearer pathway to the anterior prostate, a region that is harder to reach with transrectal biopsies.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2021
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
Given Brolin’s experiences, it seems like perineum sunning is a wellness practice that lands in a sort of ill-defined middle ground: Tain’t a legitimate medical treatment, but tain’t a harmless placebo either.
From Slate ● Dec. 1, 2019
In the early stage of an acute attack a dozen leeches upon the perineum may do good.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 1 "Bisharin" to "Bohea" by Various
People in spin classes don't have to steer their bikes anywhere, so why are they still sitting on their perinea?
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 28, 2011
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
