The glans (, plural "glandes" ;

from From may refer to: * From, a preposition * From (SQL), computing language keyword * From: (email message header), field showing the sender of an email * FromSoftware, a Japanese video game company * Full range of motion, the travel in a rang ...

the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word for " acorn")"glans" at merriam-webster.com
/ref> is a

vascular The blood vessels are the components of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the human body. These vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to the tissues of the body. They also take waste and carbon dioxide away f ...

structure located at the tip of the

penis A penis (plural ''penises'' or ''penes'' () is the primary sexual organ that male animals use to inseminate females (or hermaphrodites) during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males d ...

in male mammals or a homologous genital structure of the clitoris in female mammals.

Structure

The exterior structure of the glans consists of

mucous membrane A mucous membrane or mucosa is a membrane that lines various cavities in the body of an organism and covers the surface of internal organs. It consists of one or more layers of epithelial cells overlying a layer of loose connective tissue. It i ...

, which is usually covered by

foreskin In male human anatomy, the foreskin, also known as the prepuce, is the double-layered fold of skin, mucosal and muscular tissue at the distal end of the human penis that covers the glans and the urinary meatus. The foreskin is attached to the ...

clitoral hood In the female human body, the clitoral hood (also called preputium clitoridis and clitoral prepuce) is a fold of skin that surrounds and protects the glans of the clitoris; it also covers the external shaft of the clitoris, develops as part of th ...

in naturally developed

genitalia A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...

. This covering, called the prepuce, is normally retractable in adulthood. The glans naturally joins with the

frenulum A frenulum (or frenum, plural: frenula or frena, from the Latin ''frēnulum'', "little bridle", the diminutive of ''frēnum'') is a small fold of tissue that secures the motion of a mobile organ in the body. In human anatomy Frenula on the h ...

of the

or clitoris, as well as the inner

labia The labia are part of the female genitalia; they are the major externally visible portions of the vulva. In humans, there are two pairs of labia: the ''labia majora'' (or the outer labia) are larger and thicker, while the '' labia minora'' are fo ...

in women, and the foreskin in uncircumcised men. In non-technical or sexual discussions, often the word "clitoris" refers to the external glans alone, excluding the

, and internal body of the clitoris. Similarly, phrases "tip" or "head" of the penis refers to the glans alone.

Sex differences in humans

In males, the glans is known as the

glans penis In male human anatomy, the glans penis, commonly referred to as the glans, is the bulbous structure at the distal end of the human penis that is the human male's most sensitive erogenous zone and their primary anatomical source of sexual pl ...

, while in females the glans is known as the

clitoral glans The clitoris ( or ) is a female sex organ present in mammals, ostriches and a limited number of other animals. In humans, the visible portion – the glans – is at the front junction of the labia minora (inner lips), above the ope ...

. In females, the clitoris is above the urethra. The glans of the clitoris is the most highly innervated part of the external female genitalia. ;

In spotted hyenas, the female's
pseudo-penis A pseudo-penis is any structure found on an animal that, while superficially appearing to be a penis, is derived from a different developmental path. Mammals In mammals, all intact developmentally typical males have a penis, but the clitoris in ...
can be distinguished from the male's penis by its greater thickness and more rounded glans.Glickman SE, Cunha GR, Drea CM, Conley AJ and Place NJ. (2006).
Mammalian sexual differentiation: lessons from the spotted hyena
'. Trends Endocrinol Metab 17:349–356. In both male and female spotted hyenas, the base of the glans is covered with
penile spines Many mammalian species have developed keratinized penile spines along the glans and/or shaft, which may be involved in sexual selection. These spines have been described as being simple, single-pointed structures (macaques) or complex with two ...
.

Development

In the

development of the urinary and reproductive organs The development of the urinary system begins during prenatal development, and relates to the development of the urogenital system – both the organs of the urinary system and the sex organs of the reproductive system. The development continues a ...

, the glans is derived from the

genital tubercle A genital tubercle or phallic tubercle is a body of tissue present in the development of the reproductive system. It forms in the ventral, caudal region of mammalian embryos of both sexes, and eventually develops into a primordial phallus. In t ...

References

Sexual anatomy {{sex-stub

Structure

Sex differences in humans

Development

See also

References