genitalia
- 01 C1 Advanced
the outer parts of the body that people use for sex or to have babies.
the external reproductive organs of an animal or human. The term is typically treated as a plural noun and is the standard anatomical designation in medical contexts.
Simple“The doctor examined the patient's genitalia for any signs of infection.”
In context“In biological studies, the morphology of the genitalia is often used as a primary characteristic for distinguishing between closely related insect species.”
UsageUsually functions as a plural noun; the singular form 'genitale' is extremely rare in modern English.
Teacher's tipThis is the most appropriate term for medical or formal writing. In casual conversation, it can sound overly clinical or uncomfortable.
From Latin genitālia, substantive use of plural of genitālis (“pertaining to generation or birth”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.