genitalia

From Latin genitālia, substantive use of plural of genitālis (“pertaining to generation or birth”).

• IPA^(key): /ˌd͡ʒɛ.nɪˈteɪ.li.jə/, /ˌd͡ʒɛ.nɪˈteɪ.jəl.jə/, /ˌd͡ʒɛ.nə-/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

genitalia

1. External sex organs.
   • 1981, William Irwin Thompson, The Time Falling Bodies Take to Light: Mythology, Sexuality and the Origins of Culture, London: Rider/Hutchinson & Co., page 189:

     The second turning of the spiral is the fact that the pink blush of the female genitalia is what lures Enkidu away from his wild companions into what becomes the beginning of his movement into human society.

2. (by extension) Any sex organs, whether external or internal.

• In form, genitalia is plural; the singular would theoretically be *genitale, but this is not used.
• Genitalia may be used with either singular or plural verbs; using plural verbs ("his genitalia are...") is two or three times more common than using singular verbs ("his genitalia is...").
• Sometimes, when genitalia is treated as singular, the plural genitalias is found, mostly in nonstandard or non-native speakers' English (albeit including non-native speakers' scholarly and scientific writing).

• genitals
• See also Thesaurus:genitalia and Thesaurus:male genitalia

• sex organ

genitālia

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural of genitālis

• genitalia in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

genitalia m pl (definite plural genitaliene)

1. form removed with the spelling reform of 2005; superseded by genitalier

genitalia n pl (definite plural genitaliaa)

1. genitalia

   Synonym: kjønnsorgan

• “genitalia” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Borrowed from Latin genitālia.

• IPA^(key): /ɡɛ.ɲiˈta.lja/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -alja
• Syllabification: ge‧ni‧ta‧lia

genitalia nvir pl

1. genitalia (genitals or sex organs)

   Synonym: przyrodzenie

• genitalia in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• genitalia in Polish dictionaries at PWN