Meanings
- uncountablesexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis before ejaculationFirst known use 1886
There can be no doubt, as maintained by Peyer, that the results of coitus interruptus are variable, and that very many practice it without experiencing bad results.
1897, Robert W. Taylor, A Practical Treatise on Sexual Disorders of the Male and Female, New York; Philadelphia: Lea Brothers & Co., pages 349–3503 more examples
Yet in the event, population continued to grow – even though signs began to appear that coitus interruptus was beginning to be used systematically to reduce family size.
2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 351We have come some way since sheep's bladder condoms but male contraceptive options are still pretty basic. Not counting one Chinese invention - a small electronic device worn in the underpants, which causes infertility for a month after a current is switched on briefly - it is still down to the old favourites: abstinence, coitus interruptus, condoms or vasectomy.
2003 October 7, Lucy Atkins, “Men on the pill? Yeah, right”, in The GuardianShe'd long since caught the knack of moving with him, and closed her arms and legs around him. “You'll fly with me, Tiberius? Take the last fence with me?” He'd meant to pull out. Coitus interruptus was a term even the scholars failing their Latin knew before they left public school.
[2013, Grace Burrowes, Once Upon a Tartan, Sourcebooks, →ISBN, page 287
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna method of birth control in which coitus is initiated but the penis is deliberately withdrawn before ejaculation
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- GermanCoitus interruptus
- Englishcoitus interruptus
Borrowed from the German Coitus interruptus, a Latinism of Coitus (the then standard spelling of Koitus) and interruptus (Latin for “interrupted”) in 1886, a year after its German coining. Its antonym, coitus reservatus, was borrowed four years later, in 1890, despite having been coined five years before it, in 1880, in German.
More words from German
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 體外射精 /体外射精
- 體外射精 /体外射精 (tǐwài shèjīng)sexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Czech přerušovaná soulož
- přerušovaná souložsexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Danish afbrudt samleje, stå af i Roskilde
- afbrudt samlejesexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
- stå af i Roskildesexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Esperanto interrompita koito
- interrompita koitosexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Finnish keskeytetty yhdyntä
- keskeytetty yhdyntäsexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
French coït interrompu, coitus interruptus
- coït interrompusexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
- coitus interruptussexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
German Coitus interruptus
- Coitus interruptussexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Greek διακοπτόμενη συνουσία
- διακοπτόμενη συνουσία (diakoptómeni synousía)sexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Hungarian megszakított közösülés
- megszakított közösüléssexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Icelandic rofnar samfarir
- rofnar samfarirsexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Italian coito interrotto
- coito interrottosexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Japanese 膣外射精
- 膣外射精 (chitsugaishasei)sexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Korean 체외사정
- 체외사정 (che'oesajeong)sexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Norwegian hoppe av i svingen
- hoppe av i svingensexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Polish stosunek przerywany
- stosunek przerywanysexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Portuguese coito interrompido
- coito interrompidosexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Russian пре́рванный полово́й акт
- пре́рванный полово́й акт (prérvannyj polovój akt)sexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Slovak prerušovaná súlož
- prerušovaná súložsexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Spanish coitus interruptus, coito interrupto
- coitus interruptussexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
- coito interruptosexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
- coito interrumpidosexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
- marcha atrássexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Swedish avbrutet samlag, coitus interruptus
- avbrutet samlagsexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
- coitus interruptussexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
- finska rycketsexual intercourse interrupted by withdrawal of the penis
Cite this entry
coitus interruptus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coitus%20interruptus
“coitus interruptus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coitus%20interruptus. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “coitus interruptus,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/coitus%20interruptus.
Source: coitus interruptus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.