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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

But back in ‘79, when Ridley Scott first unleashed Alien on the world, nobody had any idea what to expect when John Hurt’s character suddenly doubled over at dinner and a bloody, toothy phallus exploded from his rib cage. —

James Grebey, TIME, 16 Aug. 2024 The beast, who is clearly a man in a costume, is almost completely visually defined by a large, erect phallus (resembling the horse’s), gushing an obscene amount of semen, which gets absolutely everywhere. —

Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 31 July 2024 Felicity Blunt’s odd way of making potatoes and the time Meryl Streep dug into a plate of tripe sausage that apparently looked a lot like a horse phallus. —

Shannon Carlin, TIME, 15 July 2024 That said, there's plenty more beyond the phalluses. —

Adrienne Wyper, The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for phallus

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 28 Nov. 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

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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