Perinea

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A region located between the thighs, generally referring to the area encircling the genital and anal openings in both sexes
2. Describing the anatomical zone situated beneath the pelvic diaphragm, which encompasses the perineal body and related structures
3. An area of human anatomy that plays a role in sexual function and childbirth, located between the pubic symphysis and coccyx

Etymology: "Perinea" is the plural of "perineum," the anatomical term for the region between the anus and the genitals. The singular traces back to ancient Greek, where "perínaion" named the space between the anus and the scrotum. That Greek noun was built on "períneos," a word for the male genitals, which itself came from "perís," meaning "penis." The path to the modern term runs through an unexpected influence. Ancient Greek speakers reshaped "perís" partly under the influence of "pērís," meaning "scrotum," so the word that began as a name for male genitals ended up describing the ground between them and the anus. Late Latin then borrowed the form as "perinaeum," and that Latin version gave English its anatomical vocabulary.