codpiece

American

[kod-pees] / ˈkɒdˌpis /

noun

(in the 15th and 16th centuries) a flap or cover for the crotch in men's hose or tight-fitting breeches, usually matching the costume and often decorated.
Obsolete. penis.

codpiece British

/ ˈkɒdˌpiːs /

noun

a bag covering the male genitals, attached to hose or breeches by laces, etc, worn in the 15th and 16th centuries

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of codpiece

1400–50; late Middle English. See cod ², piece

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.

We were up there in freezing Budapest and I was wearing tights and a codpiece.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 30, 2024

Ancient Egyptians had schenti, Romans wore subligaculum, and the Medieval world embraced braies and chausses before the introduction of the codpiece during the Renaissance.

From National Geographic • Jan. 9, 2024

None of the Captain Marvel characters seem to be moviegoers; Jude Law’s outfit doesn’t even seem to have a codpiece?

From Slate • Dec. 4, 2018

But talking to him, it's clear that beneath the virtual leather codpiece and war paint he's deadly seriously about his heavy metal methodology.

From The Guardian • Feb. 11, 2013

Despite his lead codpiece, the dust—undoubtedly—filtered in and at him, brought him daily, so long as he failed to emigrate, its little load of befouling filth.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023