ENGLISH
REFERENCE

genitalia

n. plural-only
C1 Advanced US //dʒɛnəˈtɑɫjə// UK //dʒˌɛnɪtˈeɪliə// gen·i·talia

n. the outer sex organs of a person or animal. This is a formal or medical word used to talk about the body.

n. the external reproductive organs of an animal or human being.


SIMPLE

The doctor examined the patient's genitalia for signs of infection.

CONTEXTUAL

In biology class, students learn to identify the external genitalia of various mammal species.

COMPLEX

The forensic report included a detailed description of the injuries sustained to the victim's genitalia, providing crucial evidence for the prosecution's case.

Synonyms
Origin

From Latin genitālia, substantive use of plural of genitālis (“pertaining to generation or birth”).

Usage

A pluralia tantum noun; it always takes a plural verb agreement (e.g., 'genitalia are') and has no singular form.

Pitfall

a genitaliathe genitaliaGenitalia is a plural-only noun and cannot be used with the indefinite article 'a'.

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