Definition of ITHYPHALLIC

ithyphallic

Meanings

Plural: ithyphallics

Adj

  • Of or pertaining to the erect phallus that was carried in bacchic processions.
  • Of or pertaining to the erect phallus that was carried in bacchic processions.
  • Of a poem or song: having the metre of an ode sung in honour of the bacchic phallus.
  • Of or pertaining to an upward pointing, erect penis; (specifically) of an artistic depiction of a deity or other figure: possessing an erect penis.
  • Lascivious, obscene.
  • Pertaining to a metrical combination of two trochees followed by one spondee.

Noun

  • A poem or song in an ithyphallic metre.
  • A lascivious or obscene poem or song.

Origin / Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ithyphallicus, from Ancient Greek ἰθυφαλλικός (ithuphallikós), from ῑ̓θῠ́φαλλος (īthŭ́phallos, “phallus carried in festivals of Bacchus; ode sung in honour of the phallus; dance accompanying such an ode; dancer performing such a dance”) + -ῐκός (-ĭkós, suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). ῑ̓θῠ́φαλλος is derived from ἰθῠ́ς (ithŭ́s) (variant of εὐθῠ́ς (euthŭ́s, “straight”)) + φαλλός (phallós, “penis; image of a penis, phallus”). The English word can be analysed as ithyphallus + -ic.
As regards the noun, compare Latin ithyphallicum (“poem with the same metre as the hymns to Priapus”).

Scrabble Score: 24

ithyphallic is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
ithyphallic is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
ithyphallic is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 25

ithyphallic is a valid Words With Friends word