Prepuse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The fold of loose skin that covers and protects the tip of the penis or the clitoris
2. Anatomical term for the retractable sheath of skin that surrounds the glans of the penis or clitoris
3. A flap of skin that partly or wholly covers the head of the penis or the clitoral glans in the body

Etymology: "Prepuse" is normally spelled "prepuce," the anatomical term for the fold of skin that covers the tip of the penis or clitoris. The English word comes from Latin "praeputium," which the Romans used for the same fold of skin, most notably in discussions of circumcision. The Latin word is usually analyzed as "prae," meaning "before," plus a second element that is probably related to "putare," "to cut" or "to prune." The likely sense is therefore something like "that which lies before the cut," although the exact breakdown is debated among scholars. Because the term was used in classical and later medical Latin, it passed into English as a learned anatomical word rather than through everyday speech.