Perineum
noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The region between the genitalia and anus.
"He was attacked with complete retention of urine, after a debauch, and six weeks afterwards an abscess formed in the perineum, which eventually burst, leaving a fistulous opening, through which the urine continued to be discharged to the period of his admission into the Hospital."
- 2 the general region between the anus and the genital organs wordnet
Example
More examples"He was attacked with complete retention of urine, after a debauch, and six weeks afterwards an abscess formed in the perineum, which eventually burst, leaving a fistulous opening, through which the urine continued to be discharged to the period of his admission into the Hospital."
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin perinaeum, from Ancient Greek περίναιον (perínaion, “space between the anus and scrotum”), from Ancient Greek περίνεος, περίνεοι (períneos, períneoi, “male genitals”), itself from earlier Ancient Greek περίς (perís, “penis”) through influence from Ancient Greek πηρίς (pērís, “scrotum”).
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.