genitalia

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word genitalia. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word genitalia, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say genitalia in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word genitalia you have here. The definition of the word genitalia will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofgenitalia, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: genitália

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

From Latin genitālia, substantive use of plural of genitālis (pertaining to generation or birth).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˌd͡ʒɛ.nɪˈteɪ.li.jə/, /ˌd͡ʒɛ.nɪˈteɪ.jəl.jə/, /ˌd͡ʒɛ.nə-/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

genitalia

  1. External sex organs.
    • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 189:
      The second turning of the spiral is the fact that the pink blush of the female genitalia is what lures Enkidu away from his wild companions into what becomes the beginning of his movement into human society.
  2. (by extension) Any sex organs, whether external or internal; body parts used in sexual reproduction or sexual stimulation.

Usage notes

  • In form, genitalia is plural; the singular would theoretically be *genitale, but this is not used.
  • Genitalia may be used with either singular or plural verbs; using plural verbs ("his genitalia are...") is two or three times more common than using singular verbs ("his genitalia is...").
  • Sometimes, when genitalia is treated as singular, the plural genitalias is found, mostly in nonstandard or non-native speakers' English (albeit including non-native speakers' scholarly and scientific writing).

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Sex organs

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Latin

Adjective

genitālia

  1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural of genitālis

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

genitalia m pl (definite plural genitaliene)

  1. form removed with the spelling reform of 2005; superseded by genitalier

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

genitalia n pl (definite plural genitaliaa)

  1. genitalia
    Synonym: kjønnsorgan

References

Polish

Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin genitālia.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ɡɛ.ɲiˈta.lja/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -alja
  • Syllabification: ge‧ni‧ta‧lia

Noun

genitalia nvir pl

  1. genitalia (genitals or sex organs)
    Synonym: przyrodzenie

Declension

Derived terms

adjective

Further reading

  • genitalia in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • genitalia in Polish dictionaries at PWN