priapism

P3R1I1A1P3I1S1M3
US/ˈpraɪ.əˌpɪ.zəm/

noun

A potentially painful or harmful medical condition in which the erect penis does not return to its flaccid state (despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation), often as a result of a spinal injury.

UncommonScrabble 14

Meanings

nounpriapism (countable and uncountable, plural priapisms)

plural priapisms

  1. uncountablemedicineA potentially painful or harmful medical condition in which the erect penis does not return to its flaccid state (despite the absence of both physical and psychological stimulation), often as a result of a spinal injury.
  2. countablemedicineAn instance of this.

    Phosphorus has long been considered a powerful stimulant. It acts upon the generative organism, it is recorded, in a manner to cause the most violent priapisms.

    1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 191
  3. countablefigurativelyuncountableThe obsessive focus on one's genitals or on the need for genital gratification.

    [M]any on the right have found themselves justifying our current president's priapism with the same arguments that liberals once used to excuse Clinton.

    2018 September 26, Ross Douthat, “Brett Kavanaugh and the Limits of Certainty”, in The New York Times

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekπριαπισμός
  2. Latinpriapismus
  3. Englishpriapism

From Latin priapismus, from Priapus (“the god of procreation, the penis”) + -ism, from Ancient Greek πριαπισμός (priapismós).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek στῦμα
  • στῦμα (stûma)medical condition
Bulgarian приапи́зъм
  • приапи́зъм (priapízăm)medical condition
Catalan priapisme
  • priapismemedical condition
Chinese Mandarin 陰莖異常勃起 /阴茎异常勃起
  • 陰莖異常勃起 /阴茎异常勃起 (yīnjīng yìcháng bóqǐ)medical condition
Czech priapizmus
  • priapizmusmedical condition
Danish priapisme
  • priapismemedical condition
Dutch priapisme
  • priapismemedical condition
Finnish priapismi, priapismus
  • priapismimedical condition
  • priapismusmedical condition
  • kestoerektiomedical condition
French priapisme
  • priapismemedical condition
German Priapismus
  • Priapismusmedical condition
Greek πριαπισμός
  • πριαπισμός (priapismós)medical condition
Hebrew פריאפיזם
  • פריאפיזם (priapizm)medical condition
Hindi प्रायापिज़्म
  • प्रायापिज़्म (prāyāpizma)medical condition
Hungarian priapizmus
  • priapizmusmedical condition
Icelandic sístaða, ofstöður
  • sístaðamedical condition
  • ofstöðurmedical condition
Indonesian priapisme
  • priapismemedical condition
Irish biachacht
  • biachachtmedical condition
Italian priapismo
  • priapismomedical condition
Japanese 持続勃起症
  • 持続勃起症 (jizokubokkishō)medical condition
Korean 지속발기증
  • 지속발기증 (jisokbalgijeung)medical condition
Lithuanian priapizmas
  • priapizmasmedical condition
Norwegian Bokmål priapisme
  • priapismemedical condition
Persian نغوظ دائم
  • نغوظ دائمmedical condition
Polish priapizm, ciągotka
  • priapizmmedical condition
  • ciągotkamedical condition
Portuguese priapismo
  • priapismomedical condition
Romanian priapism
  • priapismmedical condition
Russian приапи́зм
  • приапи́зм (priapízm)medical condition
Spanish priapismo
  • priapismomedical condition
Swedish priapism
  • priapismmedical condition
Thai ภาวะองคชาตแข็งค้าง
  • ภาวะองคชาตแข็งค้างmedical condition
Vietnamese chứng cương đau
  • chứng cương đaumedical condition
Welsh priapaeth, llostchwydd
  • priapaethmedical condition
  • llostchwyddmedical condition
Cite this entry
APA

priapism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/priapism

MLA

“priapism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/priapism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “priapism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/priapism.

Source: priapism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.