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per·i·ne·um

(pĕr′ə-nēəm)

n. pl. per·i·ne·a(-nēə)

1. The portion of the body in the pelvis occupied by urogenital passages and the rectum, bounded in front by the pubic arch, in the back by the coccyx, and laterally by part of the hipbone.

2. The region between the scrotum and the anus in males, and between the posterior vulva junction and the anus in females.

[Middle English, from Medieval Latin perinaeon, from Late Latin perineum, perineos, from Greek perineos, variant of earlier perinaios : peri-, peri- + inān, to excrete (possibly akin to Sanskrit iṣnāti, he lets fly, pours out, discharges).]

per′i·neal (-nēəl) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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