phallus

American  

[fal-uhs] / ˈfæl əs /

noun

plural

phalli, phalluses

1. an image of the male reproductive organ, especially that carried in procession in ancient festivals of Dionysus, or Bacchus, symbolizing the generative power in nature.

2. Anatomy. the penis, the clitoris, or the sexually undifferentiated embryonic organ out of which either of these develops.

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phallus British  

/ ˈfæləs /

noun

1. another word for penis

2. an image of the penis, esp as a religious symbol of reproductive power

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Etymology

Origin of phallus

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin, from Greek phallós “penis”; see also bull ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

I have brought him to see the film – centred around a 19th-century brick phallus on a godforsaken, storm-lashed rock off the coast of Maine – to get the insider’s view.

From The Guardian • Feb. 6, 2020

Multiple surgeries are required to create a phallus, and these surgeries have a high rate of complications.

From Slate • Mar. 15, 2018

When a drawing, made recently by one host, Ellie Harrison, accidentally bore a slight resemblance to a phallus, the Express headline read: “Fans in Turmoil as Ellie Harrison Draws ‘Penis’ on Family Show.”

From New York Times • Mar. 9, 2017

The team discovered that, even though the tuatara has no external phallus, it grows the beginnings of one during development.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 27, 2015

In Midlothian, in 1268, the clergy instructed their flock to sprinkle water with a dog's phallus in order to avert a murrain.

From Religion & Sex Studies in the Pathology of Religious Development by Cohen, Chapman