penis
The definitions used in this glossary of terminology either have been provided by the authors of the articles, or have been extracted wholly or in part, or paraphrased from the following sources: The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, Charles B. Clayman, MD, Medical Editor, Random House, New York, 1989; Biotechnology from A to Z, 2d Edition, William Bains, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; A Dictionary of Genetics, 6th Edition, Robert C. King and William D. Stansfield, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2002; Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 29th and 30th Editions, W. B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia, 2000, 2003; Genes VII, Benjamin Lewin, Oxford University Press, New York, New York, 2000; The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders, Volumes I and II, Stacey L. Blachford, Ed., Thomson Learning, New York, New York, 2002; The Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Inc., Springfield, Massachusetts, 1997; Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd Edition, Bruce Alberts, et al., Garland Publishing, 1994; The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged Edition, 1966; Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1991.
DEFINITION:
- penis
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The male sex organ through which urine and semen pass. The penis consists mainly of three cylindrical bodies of erectile tissue (spongy tissue full of tiny blood vessels) that run the length of the organ. Two of these bodies, the corpora cavernosa , lie side by side in the upper part of the penis. The third, the corpus spongiosum , lies centrally beneath them, expanding at its end to form the tip of the penis, the glans.
Through the center of the corpus spongiosum runs the urethra, a narrow tube that carries urine and semen out of the body through an opening at the tip of the glans. Surrounding the erectile tissue is a sheath of fibrous connective tissue enclosed by skin. Over the glans, the skin forms a loose fold known as the foreskin, which is sometimes removed soon after birth.
Used in 1 Article body
Used in 1 Article body