Editing Clitoris (section)

== Etymology and terminology ==
<!-- NOTE: Though the "Society and culture" section partially deals with terms for the clitoris, it seems that the information there and therefore these two sections are better kept separate, considering that the terms in the latter section are thoroughly intertwined with historical beliefs about the clitoris's structure. Below, this section directs readers to that material. -->

The [[Oxford English Dictionary]] states that the [[Neo-Latin]] word ''clītoris'' likely has its origin in the [[Ancient Greek]] {{lang|grc|κλειτορίς}} ({{Transliteration|grc|kleitorís}}), which means "little hill", and perhaps derived from the verb {{lang|grc|κλείειν}} ({{Transliteration|grc|kleíein}}), meaning "to shut" or "to sheathe".<ref name="OED" /><ref name="OEtymD" /> ''Clitoris'' is also related to the Greek word {{lang|grc|κλείς}} ({{Transliteration|grc|kleís}}), "key", "indicating that the ancient anatomists considered it the key" to female sexuality.<ref name="Sloane 2002 pp32-33"/><ref name="Basavanthappa"/> In addition, the [[Online Etymology Dictionary]] suggests other Greek candidates for this word's etymology include a noun meaning "latch" or "hook" or a verb meaning "to touch or titillate lasciviously", "to tickle".<ref name="OEtymD" /> The Oxford English Dictionary also states that the colloquially shortened form ''clit'', the first occurrence of which was noted in the United States, has been used in print since 1958: until then, the common abbreviation was ''clitty''.<ref name="OED" /> Other slang terms for clitoris are ''bean'', ''nub'', and ''love button''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Green |first=Jonathon |title = Cassell's Dictionary of Slang | publisher =Weidenfeld & Nicolson |year = 2005|page=82 |isbn= 978-0-30436-636-1 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=5GpLcC4a5fAC&pg=PA82}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Victor |first1=Terry |last2= Dalzell|first2= Tom|title = The New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English | publisher =Taylor & Francis |year = 2015|page=1601 |isbn= 978-1-31737-252-3 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=bbcBCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1601}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Victor |first1=Terry |last2= Dalzell|title = The Concise New Partridge Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English | publisher = Taylor & Francis |year = 2014|page=491 |isbn= 978-1-31762-512-4 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=h0mcBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA491}}</ref> The term {{em|clitoris}} is commonly used to refer to the glans alone.<ref name="O'Connell" /> In recent anatomical works, the clitoris has also been referred to as the '''bulbo-clitoral organ'''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Stecco |first1=Carla|last2=Driscoll|first2=Mark|last3=Huijing|first3=Peter|last4=Schleip|first4=Robert |title = Fascia: The Tensional Network of the Human Body - E-Book | publisher =Elsevier Health Sciences |year = 2021|page=129 |isbn= 978-0-70208-413-3 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GrNTEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA129}}</ref>