Word of the Week: Priapic

priapic |prīˈapik; -ˈāpik|
adjective
of, relating to, or resembling a phallus : priapic carvings.
• of or relating to male sexuality and sexual activity : priapic cartoons.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: from Priapos (see priapism ) + -ic .

I came across priapic in a New Yorker article about the Australian banana plague. It's a wonderfully snobbish word. Why say phallic when you can say priapic?

I went to the used bookstore today and picked up a book of erotic drawings by Jean Cocteau. Cocteau was a fascinating figure, artist of many media, one of the front runners of avant-garde, and also very gay. He died on the same day as Edith Piaf. It's all dusty old French stuff, of course, but I have a thing for old French things. The book is full of priapic images, and not the bashful kind.