pudendum

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin pudenda (“that whereof one ought to feel shame”), substantive use of the neuter plural gerundive of pudet (“it shames”); in Latin the usage in the plural form (to mean external genitalia), was far more common than the singular form, as is also the case in English.

Pronunciation

• enPR: pyo͝odĕnʹdəm, pyo͞odĕnʹdəm, IPA^(key): /pjʊˈdɛndəm/, /pjuːˈdɛndəm/

Noun

pudendum (plural pudenda)

1. (usually in the plural) An external genital organ in a human; especially a woman’s vulva.
2. (in the plural) A person’s genital organ, mons pubis, anus, and buttocks collectively.
3. (figuratively) A shameful part of something.

Usage notes

• This term appears far more frequently in the plural — as pudenda — than in the singular, analogously with genitalia, which is rarely encountered in its obscure singular form genitale, and with genitals, a plurale tantum whose supposed singular form genital is an adjective in English.

Derived terms

• pudendal

• pudendum muliebre (dated)

• pudendum virile (dated)

• pudic

References

• “pudendum” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2^nd Ed.; 1989]
• “pudendum, n.” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [Draft revision; Dec. 2008]

Anagrams

• undumped

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Latin

Etymology

From pudet (“it shames”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /puˈden.dum/, [pʊˈd̪ɛn̪d̪ʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /puˈden.dum/, [puˈd̪ɛn̪d̪um]

Gerund

pudendum (accusative, gerundive pudendus)

1. shaming

Declension

Second declension, defective.

	singular
nominative	—
genitive	pudendī
dative	pudendō
accusative	pudendum
ablative	pudendō
vocative	—

There is no nominative form. The present active infinitive of the parent verb is used in situations that require a nominative form. The accusative may also be substituted by the infinitive in this way.

Participle

(deprecated template usage) pudendum

1. nominative neuter singular of pudendus
2. accusative masculine singular of pudendus
3. accusative neuter singular of pudendus
4. vocative neuter singular of pudendus

Related terms

• pudenda