lingam

See also: liṅgaṃ

English

A lingam adorned with tripundra

Alternative forms

• linga

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit लिङ्गम् (liṅgam, nominative singular of लिङ्ग (liṅga, “sign, mark”)).

Noun

lingam (plural lingams)

1. (Shaivism) The aniconic phallic representation traditionally worshipped as a symbol of or in connection with Shiva.

   Coordinate term: yoni

   • 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 182:

     Then we have the very numerous lingams (conventional representations of the male organ) to be seen, scores and scores of them, in the arcades and cloisters of the Hindu Temples - to which women of all classes, especially those who wish to become mothers, resort, anointing them copiously with oil, and signalizing their respect and devotion to them in a very practical way.

2. (rare and/or euphemistic) The penis.
   • 1993, Hilton Hotema, Son of Perfection‎^[1], Pomeroy, Washington: Health Research, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 50, →ISBN:

     When the sages saw the great god Siva so haggard and sad, they treated him with scorn and saluted him only with bent heads.
     Sica^{[sic – meaning Siva]}, tired and weary, asked only for "alms". Thus the god went about begging along the roads of Darauvanam.
     As the women looked at him, they felt a pang in their heart. Their minds were perturbed and their hearts agitated by the sensations of love. They forsook the beds of the sages and followed Siva.
     As the sages saw their wives following Siva, they pronounced a curse upon him;
     "May his lingam fall to the ground."

   • 2008, John Speed, Tiger Claws: A Novel of India‎^[2], New York: St. Martin's Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 139, →ISBN:

     He still enjoys a tumble with her now as much as when they were youngsters, his voice cracking and his lingam a sprout that seemed never to get soft.

   • 2011, Norman Spinrad, The Void Captain's Tale‎^[3], United Kingdom: Orion, →ISBN, →ISBN:

     I gaze into the starry void, into Dominique’s eyes, into the blackness behind my own sealed eyelids as her lips envelop my lingam, and I feel a feedback channel opening between this creature of obsession and the dormant natural man.

   • 2013, Anaiya Sophia, Sacred Sexual Union: The Alchemy of Love, Power, and Wisdom‎^[4], Rochester: Inner Traditions, →ISBN, →OCLC, →ISBN:

     Once both partners have felt the connection it is up to the woman to give the signal that permission to enter has been granted. She may whisper her invitation to enter, use her hands to guide his lingam, or press against him, causing his lingam to open her.

Usage notes

• The sense “penis” is mostly found in context of Hinduism, Ayurveda, tantra, yoga, or translation of any Sanskrit text.

Derived terms

• jyotirlinga
• lingamic
• lingam massage

Translations

Translations

• Balinese: please add this translation if you can
• Burmese: please add this translation if you can
• French: lingam (fr) m
• German: Lingam (de) m or n
• Hindi: शिवलिंग (hi) m (śivliṅg)
• Indonesian: lingga (id)
• Khmer: លិង្គ (km) (lɨng)
• Spanish: pene (es) m
• Thai: ศิวลึงค์ (th) (sì-wá-lʉng)

Anagrams

• Gilman, laming, malign

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

lingam m (plural lingams)

1. lingam

Further reading

• “lingam”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit लिङ्गम् (liṅgam, nominative singular of लिङ्ग (liṅga, “sign, mark; penis”)).

Noun

lingam m (invariable)

1. Alternative form of linga

Latin

Verb

lingam

1. inflection of lingō:
   1. first-person singular future active indicative
   2. first-person singular present active subjunctive