phallus

noun

phal·lus ˈfa-ləs

plural phalli ˈfa-ˌlī

-ˌlē

or phalluses

: a symbol or representation of the penis

: penis

Examples of phallus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That said, there's plenty more beyond the phalluses. —

Adrienne Wyper, The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Apr. 2024 Inadvertently serving an erotic-cake rendering of a black phallus at their welcome party? —

Larry Fitzmaurice, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2024 Contains a large red wooden phallus — a traditional Bhutanese symbol of protection against evil — and smoking. —

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2024 The play, which Jacobs-Jenkins wrote assuming that nobody would ever produce it, was wild as all get-out, with dreamlike interludes involving watermelons, enormous phalluses, and musical flatulence. —

Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 8 Jan. 2024 See all Example Sentences for phallus

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'phallus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin, borrowed from Greek phallós "penis, representation of the penis," of uncertain origin

Note: The Greek word has generally been taken as an outcome of the western Indo-European etymon *b^hel-, implicated in a wide range of names for things swollen or inflated, especially in Germanic (compare ball entry 1, bowl entry 1). Chantraine (Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue grecque) suggests descent from *b^hl̥-nó-, but then hesitates on the grounds that the word does not show the dialectal variation usual with resolution of *-ln-, there being no correspondent with a lengthened vowel *phālo- (compare Attic-Ionian stḗlē "pillar, stele," Lesbian and Thessalian stallā, from *stálnā). Chantraine then adduces ballíon "phallus," a word used by Herodotus that he suggests was borrowed from "Thraco-Phrygian" (thraco-phrygien), and reconstructs for phallós a form *b^hol-i̯o-, a thematic derivative of *b^hol-i-, in heteroclitic alteration with *b^hol-(e)n-. G. Kroonen (Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, under *bul(l)an- "bull") proffers the same Indo-European reconstruction *b^hl̥-no-. However, R. Beekes (Etymological Dictionary of Greek) follows E. Furnée (Die wichtigsten konsonantischen Erscheinungen des Vorgriechischen, p. 172), who considers features of this etymon (a variant with b, in the diminutive ballíon; the variant with single l phalēt-, phalês, as well as the suffix -ēt-) as evidence of a pre-Greek substratal word. Furnée also points to the close connection of phallós with the cult of Dionysus, which likely has pre-Greek roots.

First Known Use

circa 1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of phallus was circa 1613

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Phallus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phallus. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.

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Kids Definition

phallus

noun

phal·lus ˈfal-əs

plural phalli ˈfal-ˌī

-ˌē

or phalluses

: a symbol or likeness of the male sex organ

: penis

phallic

ˈfal-ik

adjective

Medical Definition

phallus

noun

phal·lus ˈfal-əs

plural phalli ˈfal-ˌī

-ˌē

or phalluses

: penis

: the first embryonic rudiment of the vertebrate penis or clitoris

Last Updated: 21 Jun 2024 - Updated example sentences

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phallus

noun

Examples of phallus in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near phallus

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Medical Definition