The act of building or constructing something; or the stiffening of body tissue in response to stimulation.
Erection comes from Latin 'erectio' (a raising up), from 'erigere' (to raise, set upright). It's been used since the 1300s for both the building process and the physiological response.
The word 'erection' originally just meant 'putting something upright'—the biological meaning came later, which is why the root literally means 'raising up', a simple physical description!
Medical/anatomical term discussed more openly for male bodies; female sexual response (clitoral/labial engorgement) uses clinical euphemisms. Language asymmetry reflects male-centered sexual health discourse.
Use parallel anatomical terms for all bodies; normalize discussion of all sexual response systems with equal clinical precision.
["sexual arousal","vasocongestion","genital response"]
Women's sexual health research was historically underfunded; medical language reflected and reinforced this gap in knowledge.
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