PI-51 / Reference

Glossary

The vocabulary used across this site, defined accurately and briefly. Several of these terms are used loosely elsewhere, and a few to mean close to the opposite of what they mean here.

A to C

ABS plastic: Rigid, glossy, non porous thermoplastic used for handles and hard shafts. Easy to clean, but it deforms with heat, so never boiled.
Aftercare: The attention paid to the period after sex: warmth, water, quiet, contact without demand. Blood pressure, temperature and mood all shift after release.
Amplitude: How far the moving mass in a motor travels. High amplitude produces rumble, and it requires a physically larger motor.
Anterior vaginal wall: The front wall of the vagina, sitting against the urethra, the urethral sponge and the internal clitoris.
Body safe: A marketing term with no legal definition. Used carefully it means non porous, free of migrating plasticisers and safe against mucosa.
Borosilicate glass: Glass resistant to thermal shock, so it can be warmed or cooled deliberately. Non porous and inert. A chipped item must be discarded.
Bulbs, vestibular: Two masses of erectile tissue flanking the vaginal opening, forming part of the clitoris and engorging during arousal.
Clitoris: An organ of glans, body, two crura and two bulbs, commonly measured at nine to eleven centimetres. Most of it is internal.
Cross contamination: Transfer of bacteria between sites, most importantly anal to vaginal. Prevented by washing thoroughly or changing a condom in between.
Crura: The two internal legs of the clitoris, running several centimetres down and back along the pubic arch. Erectile, and reachable through the labia.

D to G

Douching: Rinsing the vagina or rectum internally. Unnecessary for the vagina, which is self cleaning, and disruptive to the mucus layer of both.
Dual control model: A model treating sexual response as the net result of an accelerator responding to sexual input and a brake responding to reasons to stop.
Engorgement: Tissue filling with blood as the supplying arteries relax. The basis of erection, vulval swelling and vaginal lubrication.
Erectile tissue: Spongy tissue that fills with blood and stiffens during arousal. Present in the clitoris, penis, vestibular bulbs and urethral sponge.
Flared base: A base wider than the object itself, required on anything used anally, since the canal draws objects inward and has no natural stop.
Frequency: How fast a motor oscillates. High frequency with low amplitude gives a surface buzz; lower frequency with higher amplitude gives rumble.
Glans: The visible external part of the clitoris, partly covered by the hood. Its high nerve density is why early direct contact often feels like too much.
Glycerin: A humectant common in water based lubricants. Well tolerated by most, associated with irritation or yeast overgrowth in a minority.
Gräfenberg zone: The original and more accurate name for the g spot: a sensitive zone on the anterior vaginal wall following the urethra.

H to O

Hood, clitoral: The fold formed where the inner labia meet, covering part of the glans. It retracts as arousal increases, raising tolerance for direct contact.
Hybrid lubricant: Water based lubricant with a little silicone added for staying power. Safety with silicone toys depends on formulation, so patch test it.
Internal sphincter: The inner ring of anal muscle. Controlled autonomically, so it cannot be relaxed by decision; it releases to gentle sustained pressure.
Latex: Natural rubber used in most condoms. Strong and elastic, degraded within minutes by oil, and a genuine allergen for a minority.
Lubrication, natural: Plasma pushed through the vaginal epithelium as tissue engorges, rather than a glandular secretion. It follows blood flow.
Mucosa: Moist tissue lining the vagina, rectum and inner vulva. More permeable and more easily irritated than external skin.
Non porous: Having no microscopic voids that hold fluid, so the surface can be cleaned properly. Silicone, ABS, glass and steel qualify.
Numbing agents: Topical anaesthetics added to some lubricants. They remove a warning signal while the activity continues, which is how injuries happen.
Orgasm: A reflex: built up neuromuscular tension, rhythmic pelvic contractions and a sharp release, with changes in heart rate and breathing.
Osmolality: How concentrated a solution is relative to body tissue. Formulations far above it draw water out of cells and can leave tissue irritated.

P to S

Perineum: The area between the genitals and the anus. Richly innervated, and close enough to internal clitoral structures to reach erectile tissue.
Phthalates: Plasticisers used to soften PVC. Not bonded to the polymer, so they migrate out, producing the smell and stickiness of ageing jelly.
Platinum cured silicone: Silicone rubber cured with a platinum catalyst, leaving fewer residues than the older tin cure. Non porous, inert and boilable when solid.
Polyisoprene: Synthetic rubber used in latex free condoms. Soft and elastic, and degraded by oil exactly as natural latex is.
Porous: Containing microscopic voids that hold fluid. Porous materials cannot be sterilised, because nothing applied to the surface reaches what is inside.
Pudendal nerve: The main nerve supplying the external genitals and perineum, one of several pathways carrying genital sensation.
Responsive desire: Desire appearing after pleasant stimulation has begun rather than before it, and frequently misread as low libido.
Rumble: Deep, low frequency, high amplitude vibration from a larger motor. It carries into tissue rather than staying at the surface.
Skene's glands: Paraurethral glands within the urethral sponge, involved in fluid sometimes released during intense anterior wall stimulation.
Spontaneous desire: Desire arising before any sexual activity has begun. One of two ordinary patterns, and the one wrongly treated as the only normal form.
Stainless steel, 316: A corrosion resistant grade suited to prolonged skin contact. Non porous, heavy, rigid and exceptional at holding temperature.
Suction toy: A device producing rapid air pressure changes in a sealed chamber over the glans. Nothing touches the tissue, so there is no friction.

T to W

Tenting: The lengthening of the vagina and widening of its upper portion during arousal, which is one reason pace matters physically.
TPE and TPR: Thermoplastic elastomers: soft, stretchy, widely used and porous. Surface cleaning only, never sterilisation, and they degrade over time.
Urethral sponge: Erectile tissue surrounding the urethra, behind the anterior vaginal wall. It swells with arousal and forms part of the g spot area.
Vulva: The external genitals: mons, labia, hood, glans and vestibule. Often incorrectly called the vagina, which is the internal canal.
Water based lubricant: Compatible with every condom and every toy material, easy to wash off, and prone to drying out, so it is reapplied.

For these materials in context, see the material table. For lubricant terms, see choosing lubricant. For anatomy, the body region covers the structures rather than the words.

Every page on this site is listed on the map.