clit

IPA/klɪt/
IPA/klɪt/

clit — noun

  • clitsingular
  • clitsplural

1. An informal short form of 'clitoris' — the small, sensitive part of the female g

1.nounB2
Definition

An informal short form of 'clitoris' — the small, sensitive part of the female genitals located at the front of the vulva, involved in sexual pleasure.

Example

Nurse Aiko showed the class a diagram with the clit clearly labelled.

informal register — short for clitoris

In health class, students learned that the clit contains thousands of nerve endings.

Common collocations
  • clit + nerve endings
  • clit + stimulation
  • sensitive clit
  • clit + area
Synonyms
  • clitoris

    The full medical term; formal register, appropriate in academic and clinical contexts.

Grammar Patterns

the clit

someone's clit

Usage Note

Considered too informal for medical or academic writing — use 'clitoris' in formal contexts. In clinical settings, the full term is preferred.

Common Mistakes

He wrote about the clit in his medical thesis.
He wrote about the clitoris in his medical thesis.
'clit' is too informal for academic writing.
The clit is the same as the vulva.
The clit is part of the vulva, located at the front where the inner labia meet.
'clit' refers to a specific organ, not the entire external genitals.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Clit' is the informal short form of 'clitoris' and is used mainly in casual conversation, sexual health education aimed at general audiences, and informal writing. 'Clitoris' is the formal medical and anatomical term — it is the only appropriate choice in academic papers, clinical settings, and formal health literature. 'Vulva' is a broader term that refers to the entire external female genitalia, including the labia, clitoris, and vaginal opening. Unlike 'clit' and 'clitoris', which name a specific organ, 'vulva' names a collection of structures. For example: 'The pamphlet described the clit as a sensitive organ' (informal educational context) vs. 'The clitoris is innervated by the dorsal nerve' (formal anatomical description) vs. 'The vulva includes both the clitoris and the labia' (broader anatomical scope).

clit ↗clitoris ↗vulva ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • clit stimulation
  • clit area
  • clit sensitivity
  • clit piercing

Prepositions

  • of the clit

Etymology

GreekLatinEnglish

A shortened or clipped form of 'clitoris', first recorded in English in the late 20th century as a casual, spoken variant. The full term 'clitoris' comes via Late Latin from Greek 'kleitoris', which may be related to a Greek word meaning 'to sheathe' or 'to close', or possibly to a word for 'small hill' — the ancient connection is uncertain.