phallus
/ˈfæləs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.52 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A penis, especially when erect.
noun
A representation of an erect penis, especially symbolising fertility or potency.
noun
The signifier of the desire of the Other, and the signifier of jouissance.
Example Sentences
- "The phallus had power to subdue the attacks of demons and the Evil Eye[.]"
- "If the priests of Diana of Ephesus castrated themselves and offered their genitals on the altar, it was because the phallus was the symbol of the dying body."
- "The initiated member gave a gift of a coin for the goddess, for which he received in turn a phallus and some salt."
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin phallus (“membrum virile, phallus, or a figure thereof”), from Ancient Greek φαλλός (phallós).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *bʰel-, φαλλός