priapism meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

priapism

noun

US /ˈpraɪ.əˌpɪ.zəm/

Etymology From Latin priapismus, from Priapus (“the god of procreation, the penis”) + -ism, from Ancient Greek πριαπισμός (priapismós).

Medicine, Pathology, Sciences 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.

Medicine, Pathology, Sciences An instance of this.

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.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 191:

Figuratively The obsessive focus on one's genitals or on the need for genital gratification.

[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.2018 September 26, Ross Douthat, “Brett Kavanaugh and the Limits of Certainty”, in The New York Times:

Derived terms: priapismic
Related terms: priapic, erectile dysfunction, permaboner