See Also: penis(encyclopedia)
penis(medicine)
os penis(medicine)
penis(dictionary)
Penis(health)
penis(dictionary)
penis femineus(medicine)
penis bone(medicine)
penis, erection of the(medicine)
dorsum penis(medicine)

penis (sh)




Male sex organ, which also provides the channel for urine to leave the body.

Three long columns of tissue extend through its length, covered by elastic tissue and a thin layer of skin. One expands at the tip into a mushroom-shaped structure (glans penis) and contains the urethra (see urinary system), which ends in a slitlike opening. In sexual arousal, blood fills spaces in the tissue, and blood vessels constrict to hold it there, enlarging and hardening the penis in an erection. The foreskin, a circular fold of skin covering the glans, is often removed (see circumcision). See also reproductive system.