priapism
/ˈpraɪ.əˌpɪ.zəm/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.95 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A potentially painful or harmful medical condition in which the erect penis does not return to its flaccid state (despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation), often as a result of a spinal injury.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Phosphorus has long been considered a powerful stimulant. It acts upon the generative organism, it is recorded, in a manner to cause the most violent priapisms."
- "[M]any on the right have found themselves justifying our current president's priapism with the same arguments that liberals once used to excuse Clinton."
Etymology
From Latin priapismus, from Priapus (“the god of procreation, the penis”) + -ism, from Ancient Greek πριαπισμός (priapismós).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpraɪ.əˌpɪ.zəm/