erectileadj.
/ɪˈrɛktʌɪl//ɪˈrɛktɪl/ a. Capable of being erected or set upright.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > vertical position > [adjective] > upright or erect > made upright > able to be
erectable1813
erectile1831
the world > space > relative position > posture > upright or erect posture > [adjective] > set > able to be
erigible1803
erectile1831
1831 H. McMurtrie tr. G. Cuvier Animal Kingdom I. 397 Chauna..Chaïa of Paraguay..whose occiput is ornamented with a circle of erectile feathers.
1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table i. 7 The men of genius that I fancy most have erectile heads.
1869 P. Gillmore tr. G. L. Figuier Reptiles & Birds ii. 78 Viperine Snakes..have a long, perforated, erectile fang on the maxillary bone.
b. erectile tissue n. a kind of tissue found in various parts of animals, capable of being distended under excitement, and consequently of becoming rigid; also, a similar tissue in vegetables.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sex organs > male sex organs > [noun] > tissue of
tunica albuginea1698
erectile tissue1830
mediastinum testis1830
1830 R. Knox tr. P. A. Béclard Elements Gen. Anat. 188 The erectile tissue is of very large dimensions in the organs of copulation.
1861 H. Macmillan Footnotes from Nature 200 An elongation of the erectile tissue of the plant.
1874 W. H. Van Buren & E. L. Keyes Pract. Treat. Surg. Dis. Genito-urinary Organs 2 The Corpus Spongiosum Urethræ is also composed of erectile tissue.
Derivatives
erecˈtility n. the quality of being erectile or capable of erection.
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1860 J. E. Worcester Dict. Eng. Lang. (citing Dr. Dix); in mod. Dict.
Draft additions June 2016
erectile dysfunction n. the repeated inability to achieve or maintain an erection of the penis sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity, esp. sexual intercourse; cf. impotence n. 2b.
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1970 Med. Aspects Human Sexuality Apr. 32/1 Clinical observations and theories of erectile dysfunction.
1998 Financial Times 31 Mar. 27/3 Viagra is not the first treatment for male erectile dysfunction, but it is the first that is a simple pill rather than, for example, an injection.
2005 Runner's World Oct. 51/1 The study revealed that 33 per cent of the men questioned had experienced erectile dysfunction in the previous three months.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1891; most recently modified version published online September 2021).
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adj.1830