Phallic

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈfælɪk/

Definitions

1. Having the shape, form, or symbolism of a male reproductive organ
2. Pertaining to or suggestive of a penis in appearance or representation
3. Characterized by features or imagery that invoke the shape or concept of the male genitalia

Etymology: Ancient Greek "phallós" was a ritual image of the male member, carried in processions honouring Dionysus, and it gave English both "phallus" and "phallic." The Greek word came into Latin as "phallus," and English later borrowed that Latin form before adding the adjective-forming suffix "-ic." That suffix descends from Latin "-icus," which passed through Old French "-ique" and Middle English "-ik" before settling into the modern "-ic" ending. So "phallic" is a plain formation: a noun plus an adjectival suffix, meaning simply "of or relating to the phallus." Its sense is deliberately literal, which is why it appears in scholarly writing on ancient religion, art and symbolism, where it describes objects or imagery shaped like the male organ, as well as in ordinary speech about anything with that resemblance.

Synonyms: sexual, genital, reproductive

Antonyms: asexual, nonsexual