Clitoris
The internal anatomy of the human vulva, with the clitoral hood and labia minora indicated as lines. The clitoris extends from the visible portion to a point below the pubic bone.
Gray's	subject #270 1266
Artery	dorsal artery of clitoris, deep artery of clitoris
Vein	superficial dorsal veins of clitoris, deep dorsal vein of clitoris
Nerve	dorsal nerve of clitoris
Precursor	Genital tubercle
MeSH	Clitoris

The clitoris is a sexual organ that is present only in female mammals. In humans, the visible button-like portion is located near the anterior junction of the labia minora, above the opening of the urethra and vagina. Unlike the penis, which is homologous to the clitoris, the clitoris does not contain the distal portion of the urethra and functions solely to induce sexual pleasure. The only known exception to this is in the Spotted Hyena. In this species, the urogenital system is unique in that the female urinates, mates and gives birth via an enlarged, erectile clitoris, known as a pseudo-penis.^[1] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 687 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (810 × 707 pixel, file size: 131 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Clitoris ... The external genital organs of the female are collectively known as the vulva (plural vulvae or vulvas)[1]. In common speech, the term vagina is often used improperly to refer to the vulva or female genitals generally, even though, strictly speaking, the vagina is a specific internal structure, whereas the... Section of an artery For other uses, see Artery (disambiguation). ... The dorsal artery of clitoris is a branch of the internal pudendal artery. ... The deep artery of clitoris is a branch of the internal pudendal artery. ... In the circulatory system, a vein is a blood vessel that carries blood toward the heart. ... The superficial dorsal veins of clitoris is a tributary of the external pudendal vein. ... The deep dorsal vein of clitoris is a vein which drains to the vesical plexus. ... For other uses, see Nerve (disambiguation). ... The dorsal nerve of the clitoris is a nerve in females that branches off the pudendal nerve to innervate the clitoris. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... A genital tubercle is a body of tissue which forms in the ventral, caudal region of mammalian embryos of both sexes, and eventually develops into a phallus. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined, is any of those anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in a complex organism; in mammals, these are: Female: Bartholins glands, cervix, clitoris, Fallopian tubes, labia, ovaries, Skenes... For other uses, see Female (disambiguation). ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ... The labia minora (singular: labium minus) or nymphae[1] are two longitudinal cutaneous folds, that normally vary widely in size from woman to woman. ... In anatomy, the urethra is a tube which connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body. ... The vagina, (from Latin, literally sheath or scabbard ) is the tubular tract leading from the uterus to the exterior of the body in female placental mammals and marsupials, or to the cloaca in female birds, monotremes, and some reptiles. ... The penis (plural penises, penes) is an external male sexual organ. ... In biology, homology is any similarity between structures that is due to their shared ancestry. ... In zootomy, several terms are used to describe the location of organs and other structures in the body of bilateral animals. ... In anatomy, the urethra is a tube which connects the urinary bladder to the outside of the body. ... Sexual arousal is the process and state of an animal being ready for sexual intercourse. ... Binomial name (Erxleben, 1777) Spotted Hyena range The Spotted Hyena, or Laughing Hyena, (Crocuta crocuta) is a mammal of the order Carnivora. ... The urogenital system includes the sex organs and the urinary system of vertebrates. ... An erection of the penis occurs when two tubular structures that run the length of the penis, the corpora cavernosa, become engorged with venous blood. ... Female spotted hyenas have pseudo-penises, which may function as a social signal. ...

Pronunciation & Etymology

The word is pronounced /ˈklɪtɒrɪs/ (listen) or /klɪˈtɔərɪs/ (listen). The plural forms are clitorises in English and clitorides in Latin. In slang, it is sometimes abbreviated as clit, which originated in the 1960s. The OED suggests that the pronunciation /ˈklaɪtɒrɪs/) is also used in the UK, and gives the likely etymology as coming from the Greek κλειτορἰς, perhaps derived from the verb κλεἰ-ειν, to shut. The Online Etymology Dictionary maintains that the etymology of this diminutive is still uncertain noting that many sources take kleitoris “Κλειτορίδ” literally from the Greek "little hill”. Other etymological candidates are key or latch, to touch or titillate lasciviously, to tickle, to be inclined (toward pleasure) and slope, from the same root as climax. It has been noted in German as der Kitzler meaning "the tickler". Its Latin genitive is clitoridis, as in "glans clitoridis". The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline for Web content. ... The genitive case is a grammatical case that indicates a relationship, primarily one of possession, between the noun in the genitive case and another noun. ... The clitoral glans (glans clitoridis) is an external portion of the clitoris. ...

Form

The head or glans of the clitoris is a simple bundle of 8000 nerve fibers, estimated to be twice the number found in the penis, ^[2]making it particularly well-suited for sexual stimulation. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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Human vulva
Human vulva showing externally-visible features of the clitoris in relation to other components: 1. Clitoral hood (prepuce); 2. Clitoral glans; 3. Urethral orifice; 4. Vulval vestibule; 5. Labia minora; 6. Vaginal opening; 7. Labia majora (hair removed); 8. Perineum
MeSH	Vulva

The clitoris is a complex structure that includes external and internal components. Projecting at the front of the vaginal commissure where the edges of the outer lips (labia majora) meet at the base of the pubic mound is the clitoral hood (prepuce), which in full or part covers the head (clitoral glans) -- commonly about the size and shape of a shirt-button. Following from the head back and up along the shaft, it is found that this extends up to several centimeters before reversing direction, branched resulting in a shaped like an inverted "V", and extending as a pair of "legs" known as the clitoral crura formed of the corpora cavernosa, which are concealed behind the labia minora, and terminating attached to the pubic arch, according to some [1], or following interior to the labia minora to meet at the fourchette, according to others.^[3] Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... A commissure is the place where two things are joined. ... Parts of a vulva The external genital organs of the female are collectively known as the vulva (also sometimes called the pudenda). ... In a female human anatomy, the clitoral hood, (also called preputium clitoridis and clitoral prepuce), is a fold of skin that surrounds and protects the clitoral glans. ... The prepuce is a retractable piece of skin which covers part of the genitals of primates and other mammals. ... The Clitoral Glans is an external portion of the clitoris. ... The clitoral crura are an internal portion of the clitoris. ... A corpus cavernosum is one of a pair of a sponge-like regions of erectile tissue which contain most of the blood in the male penis during erection. ... The labia minora (singular: labium minus) or nymphae[1] are two longitudinal cutaneous folds, that normally vary widely in size from woman to woman. ... In female human anatomy, the frenulum labiorum pudendi (aka. ...

Associated are the urethral sponge, clitoral/vestibular bulbs, perineal sponge, a network of nerves and blood vessels, suspensory ligaments, muscles and pelvic diaphragm.^[4] Female internal reproductive anatomy The urethral sponge is a spongy cushion of tissue, found in the lower genital area of women, that sits against both the pubic bone and vaginal wall, and surrounds the urethra. ... The Vestibular Bulbs, also known as the Clitoral Bulbs, are an internal part of the Clitoris next to the clitoral body, clitoral crura, urethra, urethral sponge, and vagina. ...

There is considerable variation with regard to how much of the clitoris protrudes from the hood and how much is covered by it, ranging from complete, covered invisibility to full, protruding visibility. An article published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in July 1992 states that the average width of the clitoral glans lies within the range of 2.5 – 4.5 mm (0.10-0.18 in) indicating that the average size is smaller than a pencil eraser. There is no identified correlation between the size of a clitoris and the person's age, neither to being post-menopausal, nor to height, weight or use of oral contraceptives. Those who have given birth do tend to have slightly larger measurements.

Click here to see a video showing clitoris becoming engorged with blood

Masters and Johnson were the first to determine that the clitoral structures surround and extend along the vagina, determining that all orgasms are of clitoral origin. ^[5] More recently, Australian urologist Dr. Helen O'Connell using MRI technology noted a direct relationship between the legs or roots of the clitoris and the erectile tissue of the clitoral bulbs and corpora, and the distal urethra and vagina. ^[6]She asserts that this interconnected relationship is the physiological explanation for the conjectured G-spot and experience of vaginal orgasm taking into account the stimulation of the internal parts of the clitoris during vaginal penetration. ^[7] Some individuals who experience orgasm from both direct clitoral stimulation of the glans and vaginal access to the internal bodies may distinguish between them in terms of both the physical and general sensations associated with each. Time magazine, May 25, 1970 The Masters and Johnson research team, made up of William Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, pioneered research into the nature of human sexual response and the diagnosis and treatment of sexual disorders and dysfunctions from 1957 until the 1990s. ... An orgasm, also known as a sexual climax, is a pleasurable psychological or emotional response to prolonged sexual stimulation. ... Erectile tissue is tissue in the body that can become erect, usually by becoming engorged with blood. ... ... An orgasm, also known as a sexual climax, is a pleasurable psychological or emotional response to prolonged sexual stimulation. ...

During sexual arousal and during orgasm, the clitoris and the whole of the genitalia engorge and change color as these erectile tissues fill with blood, and the individual experiences vaginal contractions. Masters and Johnson documented the sexual response cycle, which has four phases and is still the clinically accepted definition of the human orgasm. More recent research has determined that some can experience a sustained intense orgasm through stimulation of the clitoris and remain in the orgasmic phase for much longer than the original studies indicate, evidenced by genital engorgement and color changes, and vaginal contractions. ^[8] For other uses, see Blood (disambiguation). ... This does not cite its references or sources. ...

Recognition of existence

Over a period of more than 2,500 years, some have considered the clitoris and the penis equivalent in all respects except their arrangement.^[3] Medical literature first recognized the existence of the clitoris in the 16th century^{[citation needed]}. This is the subject of some dispute: Realdo Colombo (also known as Matteo Renaldo Colombo) was a lecturer in surgery at the University of Padua, Italy, and in 1559 he published a book called De re anatomica in which he described the "seat of woman's delight". Colombo concluded, "Since no one has discerned these projections and their workings, if it is permissible to give names to things discovered by me, it should be called the love or sweetness of Venus." (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... Matteo Realdo Colombo or Renaldus Columbus (c. ... “Surgeon” redirects here. ... Gymnasivm Patavinum: The Universitys main Bo palace shown in a 1654 woodcut The University of Padua (Italian Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) located in Padua, Italy was founded in 1222. ... Marble Venus of the Capitoline Venus type, Roman (British Museum) Venus was a major Roman goddess principally associated with love and beauty, the rough equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. ...

Colombo's claim was disputed by his successor at Padua, Gabriele Falloppio (who discovered the fallopian tube), who claimed that he was the first to discover the clitoris. Caspar Bartholin, a 17th century Danish anatomist, dismissed both claims, arguing that the clitoris had been widely known to medical science since the 2nd century. Indeed, Hippocrates used the term columella (little pillar). Avicenna named the clitoris the albatra or virga (rod). Albucasis, an Arabic medical authority, named it tentigo (tension). It was also known to the Romans, who named it landica. (The Latin Sexual Vocabulary by J.N. Adams Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982. pp. 95-6.) Gymnasivm Patavinum: The Universitys main Bo palace shown in a 1654 woodcut The University of Padua (Italian Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) located in Padua, Italy was founded in 1222. ... Gabriele Falloppio Gabriele Falloppio (1523- October 9, 1562), often known by his Latin name Fallopius, was one of the most important anatomists and physicians of the sixteenth century; he was born at Modena, Italy in 1523; he died October 9, 1562 at Padua. ... The Fallopian tubes, also known as oviducts, uterine tubes, and salpinges (singular salpinx) are two very fine tubes leading from the ovaries of female mammals into the uterus. ... Caspar Bartholin the Younger (1655-1738), grandson of theologian and anatomist Caspar Bartholin the Elder, was a Danish anatomist who first described the Bartholins gland in the 17th century. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Human heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... For the chemical substances known as medicines, see medication. ... The 2nd century is the period from 101 - 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian Era. ... For other uses, see Hippocrates (disambiguation). ... (Persian: ابن سينا) (c. ... Abu al-Qasim (936 - 1013), (Arabic: أبو القاسم) also known as Abul Qasim Khalaf ibn al-Abbas al-Zahrawi known in the West as Abucalsis, is medieval Islams most prominent scholar of medicine. ... Latin profanity is the profane, indecent, or impolite vocabulary of Latin, and its uses. ...

This cycle of suppression and discovery continued, notably in the work of De Graaf (Tractatus de Virorum Organis Generationi Inservientibus, De Mulierub Organis Generationi Inservientibus Tractatus Novus) in the 17th century and Kobelt (Die männlichen und weiblichen Wollustorgane des Menschen und einiger Säugetiere) in the 19th.

The full extent of the clitoris was alluded to by Masters and Johnson in 1966, but in such a muddled fashion that the significance of their description became obscured. That same year, feminist psychiatrist Mary Jane Sherfey published an article on female sexuality that described in detail the extensive nature of the internal anatomy of the clitoris and in 1981, the Federation of Feminist Women's Health Clinics (FFWHC) continued this process with anatomically precise illustrations. ^[3] Today, MRI complements these efforts, as it is both a live and multiplanar method of examination ^[9]. An American psychiatrist and writer on female sexuality, Mary Jane Sherfey received her medical degree from Indiana University, where she attended lectures on marriage and sexuality given by Alfred Kinsey. ... The mri are a fictional alien species in the Faded Sun Trilogy of C.J. Cherryh. ...

Female genital modification

Main article: genital modification and mutilation

The external part of the clitoris may be partially or totally removed during female genital cutting, also known as a clitoridectomy, female circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM); this may be a voluntary or involuntary procedure. The topic is highly controversial with many countries condemning the traditions that give rise to involuntary procedures, and with some countries outlawing even voluntary procedures. Amnesty International estimates that over 2 million involuntary female circumcisions are being performed every year, mainly in African countries. Genital modification and genital mutilation both can refer to permanent or temporary changes to the human genitals. ... Female genital cutting (FGC), female genital mutilation (FGM), or female circumcision (FC), is the excision or tissue removal of any part of the female genitalia for cultural, religious or other non-medical reasons. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Amnesty international Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization which defines its mission as to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ...

In various cultures, the clitoris is sometimes pierced directly. In U.S. body modification culture, it is actually extremely rare for the clitoral shaft itself to be pierced, as of the already few people who desire the piercing, only a small percentage are anatomically suited for it; furthermore, most piercing artists are understandably reluctant to attempt such a delicate procedure. Some styles, such as the Isabella and the Nefertiti, do pass through the clitoris but are placed deep at the base, where they provide unique stimulation; they still require the proper genital build, but are more common than shaft piercings. Additionally, what is (erroneously) referred to as a "clit piercing" is almost always the much more common (and much less complicated) clitoral hood piercing. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... An Isabella piercing is a deep clitoral shaft piercing. ... A Nefertiti piercing is a female genital piercing that is basically a combination of a vertical clitoral hood piercing and a christina piercing. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Enlargement may be intentional or unintentional. Those taking hormones and/or other medications as part of female-to-male transition usually experience dramatic clitoral growth; individual desires (and the difficulties of surgical phalloplasty) often result in the retention of the original genitalia, the enlarged clitoris analogous to a penis as part of the transition. On the other hand, use of anabolic steroids by bodybuilders and other athletes can result in significant enlargement of the clitoris in concert with other masculinizing effects on their bodies. Temporary engorgement results from suction pumping, practiced to enhance sexual pleasure or for aesthetic purposes. Transmen or trans men are transsexual or transgendered people who were assigned female gender at birth (or, in some rare cases of intersexuality, later) and who feel that this is not an accurate or complete description of themselves. ... Transitioning is the process of ceasing to live in one gender role and starting to live in another, undertaken by transgender and transsexual people. ... Crystal structure of human sex hormone-binding globulin, transporting 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone. ...

Intersex and transgender people

Transgender people who undergo sex reassignment surgery (male-to-female) may choose to have their surgeon design a clitoris, using their existing genital tissue. The new clitoris may be referred to as a neoclitoris.

Additional images

Outer anatomy of clitoris. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (585x619, 46 KB) Summary Description: A picture showing the outer anatomy of the vulva, focusing on the anatomy and location of the clitoris. ...

Muscles of the perineum. Image File history File links Gray408. ...

Sagittal section of the lower part of the trunk, right segment. Image File history File links Gray1166. ...

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Clitoris

• The-Clitoris.com – a very thorough website about everything related to the clitoris
• VulvaVelvet.org - Female sexual anatomy, including information on the structure of the clitoris
• Time for rethink on the clitoris (BBC News)
• Click here to see a video of the clitoris in action Video simulation of the clitoris in arousal

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