tumescences

Noun

tumescence (countable and uncountable, plural tumescences)

1. A swelling due to the presence of fluid.
   • It is still more remarkable that the reeves also, even in the presence of the males, will court each other and have intercourse. We may associate this with the high erotic development of birds, the difficulty with which tumescence seems to occur in them, and their long courtships.1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)

   Synonyms:

   tumidity, turgescence, turgidity, turgor, bloatedness, bloating, distension, ectasia, ectasis, intumescence

2. A swollen bodily organ; used especially of erectile tissue.