clitoris
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From post-classical Latin clitoris (16th century), or its source, Koine Greek κλειτορίς (kleitorís), probably from Ancient Greek κλείω (kleíō, “I sheathe, shut”), in reference to its being covered by the labia minora.
The related noun form κλείς (kleís) has a second meaning of "a key, a latch or hook (to close a door)." Wooden pegs were the original keys; a connection also revealed in Latin clavis (“nail”) and claudere (“to shut”) (see close). Some medical sources give a supposed Greek verb κλειτοριάζω (kleitoriázō, “touch or titillate lasciviously, tickle”) literally "to be inclined (toward pleasure)" (compare German Kitzler (“clitoris”, literally “tickler”), related to Greek κλειτύς (kleitús, “shut, closed”), a variant of κλιτύς (klitús, “hillside”), related to κλίνω (klínō, “I slope”), from the same root as κλῖμαξ (klîmax, “ladder”). But many sources take κλειτορίς (kleitorís) literally as Ancient Greek "little hill".
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
clitoris (plural clitorises or clitorides)
- (anatomy) A sensitive elongated erectile organ at the anterior part of the vulva in female humans and mammals, homologous with the penis. [from 17th c.]
- stimulate the clitoris
- She complains that her boyfriend can't find her clitoris.
- 1740, anonymous author, A Dialogue Between a Lady and a Maid:
- Juſt before them, towards the upper Part of the C—t, is a Thing they call Clitoris, which, is a little like a Man's P—k, for it will ſwell, and ſtand like his […] .
- 1999, Natalie Angier, Woman: An Intimate Geography, page 65:
- The average infant clitoris, when measured from the base of the shaft to the top of the glans, is about 4 or 5 millimeters, the height of a pencil eraser.
- (ornithology) A similar erectile sexual organ present in the cloacas of female ratites.
Synonyms[edit]
- See also Thesaurus:clitoris.
Hypernyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Derived terms
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
elongated erectile organ
|
Anagrams[edit]
Dutch[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from New Latin clitoris, from Ancient Greek κλειτορίς (kleitorís).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
clitoris f (plural clitores or clitorissen, diminutive clitorisje n)
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
- → Indonesian: klitoris
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek κλειτορίς (kleitorís).
Pronunciation[edit]
Noun[edit]
clitoris m (plural clitoris)
- clitoris
- Les personnes qui prennent de la testostérone dans le cadre d’une transition de genre médicale de femme à homme ont également un clitoris dont la taille est au-dessus de la moyenne.
- People who take testosterone as part of a female-to-male medical gender transition also have a clitoris of above-average size.
Derived terms[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- “clitoris”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Interlingua[edit]
Noun[edit]
clitoris (uncountable)
Latin[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈkliː.to.ris/, [ˈklʲiːt̪ɔrɪs̠]
- (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): /ˈkli.to.ris/, [ˈkliːt̪oris]
Noun[edit]
clītoris f (genitive clītoridis); third declension
- clitoris (postclassical)
Declension[edit]
Third-declension noun.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | clītoris | clītoridēs |
| Genitive | clītoridis | clītoridum |
| Dative | clītoridī | clītoridibus |
| Accusative | clītoridem | clītoridēs |
| Ablative | clītoride | clītoridibus |
| Vocative | clītoris | clītoridēs |
Romanian[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Borrowed from French clitoris.
Noun[edit]
clitoris n (plural clitorisuri)
Declension[edit]
Declension of clitoris
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) clitoris | clitorisul | (niște) clitorisuri | clitorisurile |
| genitive/dative | (unui) clitoris | clitorisului | (unor) clitorisuri | clitorisurilor |
| vocative | clitorisule | clitorisurilor | ||
Categories:
- English terms derived from Latin
- English terms derived from Koine Greek
- English terms derived from Ancient Greek
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English nouns with irregular plurals
- en:Anatomy
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- en:Ornithology
- en:Genitalia
- Dutch terms borrowed from New Latin
- Dutch terms derived from New Latin
- Dutch terms derived from Ancient Greek
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch nouns with Latin plurals
- Dutch nouns with plural in -en
- Dutch feminine nouns
- nl:Genitalia
- French terms borrowed from Ancient Greek
- French learned borrowings from Ancient Greek
- French terms derived from Ancient Greek
- French 3-syllable words
- French terms with IPA pronunciation
- French lemmas
- French nouns
- French countable nouns
- French masculine nouns
- French terms with usage examples
- fr:Anatomy
- fr:Genitalia
- Interlingua lemmas
- Interlingua nouns
- ia:Genitalia
- Latin 3-syllable words
- Latin terms with IPA pronunciation
- Latin lemmas
- Latin nouns
- Latin third declension nouns
- Latin feminine nouns in the third declension
- Latin feminine nouns
- Romanian terms borrowed from French
- Romanian terms derived from French
- Romanian lemmas
- Romanian nouns
- Romanian countable nouns
- Romanian neuter nouns
- ro:Genitalia