Thursday, May 31, 2007

The Opposite of Phallic

A few months ago, Chris Hall told me that the female equivalent of phallic was "yonic." This interested me enough to not do anything about it until I remembered it yesterday, and then look into it. The OED defines "yoni" as
A figure or symbol of the female organ of generation as an object of veneration among the Hindus and others.
I'd prefer to find the Greek-root antonym. I found a discussion board that claims that the two best possibilities are "hysteric" (not a great possibility, for obvious reasons) and "uterine." But I'm not sure that the uterus is the appropriate opposite organ in this case - when we use phallic, we really use it to refer to the physical act of...copulation. I think the antonym should refer to the female portion of the physical interface between man and woman.

I guess I'll conclude for now that yonic is appropriate, because of this note on the etymology from the OED (and because of the general consensus online):
In nature-worship, all natural orifices were reverenced as representing the yoni of the mother-earth goddess.
So I don't think yoni refers to the uterus...Sorry if this is an awkward discussion for my less mature readers. But I do plan to start using "yonic" in conversation as soon as possible.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would counter that since the term 'phallic' comes to us from Latin, that we should seek there for it's counterpart. The latin term for vagina is 'cunnis' thus making 'cunnic' the female counterpart to 'phallic'.

Yonic, or Yoni comes from Sandskrit, and has a counterpart- Lingam, or Lingic.

Anonymous said...

This, 'Cunnis', makes more sense than ans. I've seen.

Anonymous said...

correction:
This word, 'Cunnis', makes more sense than any other ans. I've seen.

Anonymous said...

"Phallic" is basically Greek. The Greek counterpart would seem to be "ktenic". Several examples can be found by Google (Web or Books). "Yonic" is much more frequently used, but of course it's from a completely different origin.

Anonymous said...

phallic is the usual term used in literary analysis and in such times "yonic" is the term usually used to describe the symbolism of the female genitalia. however at times, both symbols are seen in conjunction, like a train running through a tunnel. at that point, people often just point out the phallic tymbol (the train) and ignore the yonic symbol (the tunnel).

Anonymous said...

As front is the opposite of back, so phallic is the opposite of anal.

Anonymous said...

Vulvic anyone?

Anonymous said...

Aidiactic? Since the greek term for the fem fem is aidia.

Anonymous said...

I must say, cunnic is a good word.

To be cunning is the opposite of being cocky.

Anonymous said...

[B]NZBsRus.com[/B]
Skip Sluggish Downloads With NZB Downloads You Can Instantly Search High Quality Movies, Games, MP3s, Applications & Download Them @ Fast Rates

[URL=http://www.nzbsrus.com][B]NZB Search[/B][/URL]

Anonymous said...

Great story you got here. I'd like to read more concerning that theme. Thnx for sharing this info.

Anonymous said...

It isn't hard at all to start making money online in the undercover world of [URL=http://www.www.blackhatmoneymaker.com]blackhat tools[/URL], Don’t feel silly if you haven’t heard of it before. Blackhat marketing uses alternative or misunderstood ways to generate an income online.

Anonymous said...

Pretty interesting site you've got here. Thanks for it. I like such topics and everything connected to this matter. I would like to read more soon.

Julia Swenson
kiev escort girl

Anonymous said...

vulvar; vulval

Anonymous said...

top [url=http://www.001casino.com/]online casinos[/url] coincide the latest [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com/]casinolasvegass.com[/url] manumitted no set aside hand-out at the chief [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]baywatch casino
[/url].

Anonymous said...

So, it would be nice if you keep it well organized, clean and decorated with desired accessories [url=http://www.cosylouboutinshoes2013.co.uk/]louboutin uk[/url]
In the planet, the grape production and cultivation area may be first [url=http://www.tiffanyjewelryonlineoutlet.com/]tiffany outlet store[/url]
Fabric bags might match well with your outfit but if you are looking for a contrast then you should consider using leather or plastic [url=http://www.thomassaboonlineoutlet.co.uk/]thomas sabo charms[/url]
Of course, the only downside is that this is a process that takes much longer than logging onto a retail website [url=http://www.cosylouboutinshoes2013.co.uk/]louboutin uk[/url]
Or, use touch screens within your booth to answer questions that your visitors may have as they learn more about your product [url=http://www.thomassaboonlineoutlet.co.uk/]thomas sabo charms[/url]

Anonymous said...

Hello. And Bye. Thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

Hello. And Bye. Thank you very much.

Anonymous said...

[url=http://www.23planet.com]Online casinos[/url], also known as accepted casinos or Internet casinos, are online versions of renowned ("crony and mortar") casinos. Online casinos authorization gamblers to affect up and wager on casino games with the rear the Internet.
Online casinos superficially rib unashamed odds and payback percentages that are comparable to land-based casinos. Some online casinos avow on higher payback percentages in the say of sulcus gismo games, and some squad in the open payout proportion audits on their websites. Assuming that the online casino is using an correctly programmed blas‚ uncountable generator, directory games like blackjack insistence an established false edge. The payout slice during these games are established during the rules of the game.
Multitudinous online casinos sublease or realize their software from companies like Microgaming, Realtime Gaming, Playtech, Supranational Deviation Technology and CryptoLogic Inc.