lingam

Noun

lingam (plural lingams)

1. The aniconic phallic representation traditionally worshipped as a symbol of or in connection with Shiva.
   • 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...1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 182
   • Caylus presents Pan in the act of pouring water upon the male member; that is, invigorating the creative power by the application of the prolific element upon which it acted. In India, it was customary to pour sacred water from the Ganges upon the Lingam, the symbol of Siva.1941, George Ryley Scott, Phallic Worship: A History of Sex and Sex Rites in Relation to the Religions of All Races from Antiquity to the Present Day, London: T. Werner Laurie, page 27
2. The penis.
   • Then when his lingam is erect he should touch her with his hands in various places, and gently manipulate various parts of the body.1883, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, Karma Sutra
   • This compound, when applied to the lingam, results in sexual dominance.1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 69