The medical term for penis is simply penis, because the everyday word is also the correct anatomical name for the male external organ that carries urine and semen out of the body. The adjective used in charts is penile, as in penile lesion or penile ultrasound.
The word comes from Latin, where it originally meant tail. Clinical vocabulary adds the combining forms pen/o and phall/o, plus names for each part of the organ and for the conditions that affect it. This page covers those terms in plain, clinical language for patients, caregivers and students reading urology, pediatric or primary care notes.
At a glance
Medical term
Penis (plural penises, rarely penes)Adjective
PenileCombining forms
pen/o, phall/oLatin origin
Penis, originally meaning tailBody system
Male reproductive and urinary systemsWhere you see it
Physical exam notes, urology and pediatric records
Why the medical term for penis is the same word
Many plain words have a separate medical name, such as emesis for vomiting. This one does not. Penis is the standard term in anatomy textbooks, exam notes and coding manuals, so clinicians use it without any substitute. What changes in a chart is mostly the adjective form, penile, and the more specific names for each part.
Notes often group the penis with the scrotum and testes under the heading external genitalia, and the exam section may be labeled GU, short for genitourinary. That heading covers both the urinary tract and the reproductive organs.
Anatomy terms for each part
Exam findings usually name a specific region. These are the standard terms.
| Term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Glans | The rounded tip |
| Shaft | The main body between the base and the tip |
| Prepuce | The foreskin that covers the glans in an uncircumcised male |
| Urethral meatus | The opening at the tip where urine leaves the body |
| Corpora cavernosa | Two columns of spongy tissue along the top of the shaft |
| Corpus spongiosum | The column of tissue underneath that surrounds the urethra |
The urethra itself runs from the bladder through the corpus spongiosum to the meatus, which is why urinary and reproductive problems often appear in the same section of a note.
Combining forms pen/o and phall/o
Two roots build most related words. Pen/o comes from the Latin word and gives terms like penile and penoscrotal, meaning involving both the penis and the scrotum. Phall/o comes from Greek and appears in more technical words such as phalloplasty, a surgical reconstruction of the penis. In embryology and in care of differences of sex development, the developing structure is often called the phallus.
Do not mix up pen/o with the suffix penia, which means a deficiency, as in neutropenia or thrombocytopenia. The spelling is close, but the meaning is unrelated. More roots like these are grouped on the medical terminology hub.
Clinical words you may see in a record
Urology and pediatric notes use a set of condition names tied to this organ.
- Phimosis: a foreskin that is too tight to pull back over the glans.
- Paraphimosis: a retracted foreskin that cannot be returned to its normal position, which is treated as urgent.
- Balanitis: inflammation of the glans, from the Greek word for the glans.
- Hypospadias: a birth difference in which the urethral opening sits on the underside rather than at the tip.
- Epispadias: a rarer birth difference with the opening on the upper side.
- Priapism: a prolonged erection not linked to arousal, considered a medical emergency.
- Circumcision: surgical removal of the foreskin.
Penile terms inside actual exam notes
Newborn exam: "GU: normal male, testes descended bilaterally, meatus at tip of glans." The baby's genital exam is normal and the urinary opening is in the usual place, so there is no sign of hypospadias.
Urology referral: "Adult male with phimosis and recurrent balanitis, evaluate for circumcision." A tight foreskin with repeated inflammation, and the referral asks whether surgery would help.
Related tests and conditions in the same area include a UA for urine, BPH for an enlarged prostate, and LUTS for lower urinary tract symptoms.
Talking about it with a clinician
Some people feel awkward using anatomical words, but clinicians hear them every day and prefer clear terms because they make the history more accurate. Using penis, foreskin or urethral opening when describing pain, a rash, a lump or a change in urination helps the clinician understand exactly where the problem is. Parents can also teach children the correct names, which pediatric guidance generally supports.
This page explains terminology for general learning. For any symptom or question about your own body, speak with your doctor, nurse practitioner or a urology clinic.
Frequently asked questions
What is the medical term for penis?
Penis is the medical term. It is the same word used in everyday English, and the adjective form in charts is penile.
What does phall/o mean?
Phall/o is a Greek combining form that refers to the penis. It appears in technical terms such as phalloplasty and in the word phallus, used for the developing structure in embryology.
What does GU mean on an exam note?
GU stands for genitourinary. It is the section of the physical exam that covers the urinary tract and the external genitalia, including the penis, scrotum and testes.
What is the medical term for foreskin?
The medical term for foreskin is prepuce. Its removal is called circumcision, and a foreskin that is too tight to retract is called phimosis.