prepuce

See also: prépuce and prépucé

English

Alternative forms

• præpuce (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English prepuce, prepuse, from Old French prepuce (“foreskin”), from Latin praepūtium (“prepuce, foreskin”), a combination of prae- (“fore-”) + Old Latin pūtos (“penis”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpɹiːpjuːs/

  • Audio (Southern England):

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  • Audio (US):

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Noun

prepuce (plural prepuces)

1. (anatomy) The foreskin, or retractable fold of tissue covering the glans penis.

   Synonym: penile foreskin

   • 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses:

     Jehovah, collector of prepuces, is no more.

   • 1985, Anthony Burgess, Kingdom of the Wicked:

     But there are a fair number of halfway Jews – you know, those who want God without having to have their prepuces torn off to get him.

2. (anatomy) The clitoral hood.

   Synonyms: clitoral hood, clitoral foreskin

Synonyms

• foreskin
• preputium
• See also Thesaurus:foreskin

Derived terms

• clitoral prepuce
• Holy Prepuce
• megaprepuce
• prepuceless
• preputial
• preputioplasty
• preputiotomy

Translations

foreskin — see foreskin

foreskin of certain animals — see sheath

See also

• akroposthion
• circumcision

Further reading

• Prepuce on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Foreskin on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Clitoral hood on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• upcreep, creep up

Middle French

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin praeputium.

Noun

prepuce m (plural prepuces)

1. foreskin

Descendants

• French: prépuce