phallicism

phallicism
phallicist, phallist, n.
/fal"euh siz'euhm/, n.
worship of the phallus, esp. as symbolic of power or of the generative principle of nature.
Also, phallism /fal"iz euhm/.
[1880-85; PHALLIC + -ISM]

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▪ primitive religion
      worship of the generative principle as symbolized by the sexual organs or the act of sexual intercourse. Although religious activities that involve sexuality or the symbolism of the male or female sexual organs are sometimes called phallic cults, there is no evidence that any cult is preeminently phallic.

      The most important forms of sexual rituals are those in which intercourse is believed to promote fertility, those that release a flood of creative energy by breaking boundaries and by returning a culture to the state of primeval and powerful chaos (e.g., the orgy during New Year festivals), or those in which sexual intercourse symbolizes the bringing together of opposites (e.g., alchemy or Tantrism, a Hindu esoteric meditation system).

      In other traditions objects of adoration are representations of the sexual organs (e.g., the phallus borne in Dionysian processions in Greece and Rome; the male lingam and female yoni in India) or deities with prominent genitals (e.g., Priapus in Greece). In these instances, the powers of creativity that the sexual organ represents, rather than the organ itself, are worshiped.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Phallicism — Phal li*cism, n. See {Phallism}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • phallicism — [fal′iz΄əmfal′ə siz΄əm] n. worship of the phallus as a symbol of the male generative power: also phallism [fal′iz΄əm] phallicist n. phallist …   English World dictionary

  • phallicism — phallus ► NOUN (pl. phalli or phalluses) 1) a penis, especially when erect. 2) a representation of an erect penis symbolizing fertility or potency. DERIVATIVES phallicism noun. ORIGIN Greek phallos …   English terms dictionary

  • phallicism — noun Date: 1884 the worship of the generative principle as symbolized by the phallus …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • phallicism — noun The worship of the penis or phallus, especially connected with fertility …   Wiktionary

  • phallicism — Worship of the male genitalia. SYN: phallism. * * * phal·li·cism fal ə .siz əm n the worship of the generative principle as symbolized by the phallus …   Medical dictionary

  • phallicism — phal·li·cism …   English syllables

  • phallicism — phal•li•cism [[t]ˈfæl əˌsɪz əm[/t]] also phal•lism [[t]ˈfæl ɪz əm[/t]] n. worship of the phallus, esp. as symbolic of power or of the generative principle of nature • Etymology: 1880–85 phal′li•cist, phal′list, n …   From formal English to slang

  • phallicism — /ˈfæləsɪzəm/ (say faluhsizuhm) noun worship of the phallus. Also, phallism. –phallicist, noun …  

  • phallicism — ləˌsizəm noun ( s) Etymology: phallic + ism : the worship of or reverence for the generative principle in nature as symbolized especially by the phallus …   Useful english dictionary

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