clitoris
/ˈklɪtəɹɪs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.95 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "stimulate the clitoris"
- "She complains that her boyfriend can't find her clitoris."
- "Juſt before them, towards the upper Part of the C—t, is a Thing they call Clitoris, which, is a little like a Man's P—k, for it will ſwell, and ſtand like his […]."
- "The average infant clitoris, when measured from the base of the shaft to the top of the glans, is about 4 or 5 millimeters, the height of a pencil eraser."
Etymology
From post-classical New Latin clītoris (16th century), from Koine Greek κλειτορίς (kleitorís), probably from Ancient Greek κλείω (kleíō, “to sheathe, shut”), in reference to it being covered by the labia minora. The related noun form κλείς (kleís) has a second meaning of "a key, a latch or hook (to close a door)." Wooden pegs were the original keys; a connection also revealed in Latin clavis (“nail”) and claudere (“to shut”) (see close). Some medical sources give a supposed Greek verb κλειτοριάζω (kleitoriázō, “touch or titillate lasciviously, tickle”) literally "to be inclined (toward pleasure)" (compare German Kitzler (“clitoris”, literally “tickler”), related to Greek κλειτύς (kleitús, “shut, closed”), a variant of κλιτύς (klitús, “hillside”), related to κλίνω (klínō, “to slope”), from the same root as κλῖμαξ (klîmax, “ladder”). But many sources take κλειτορίς (kleitorís) literally as Ancient Greek "little hill".
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: clītoris, κλειτορίς, κλείω
Inflected Forms
clitorises (plural)
clitorides (plural)
clytoris (alternative, obsolete)
clittoris (alternative, obsolete)
cletoris (alternative, obsolete)