peter
The penisThe penis.
» The initial momentum has already petered out.
Der anfängliche Schwung ist schon erlahmt.
Meaning
3 senses(slang)The penis.
(UK, slang)A safe.
(UK, slang)A prison cell.
- disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
Examples
5 sentencesThe initial momentum has already petered out.
deDer anfängliche Schwung ist schon erlahmt.
Our relationship eventually petered out.
I had a lot of gumption when I was young, but now it seems to have all petered out.
The Gall-Peters map projection was a subject of controversy.
deDie Gall-Peters-Projektion war umstritten.
Tom's Bible reading group petered out after a few months through lack of interest.
deToms Bibellesegruppe löste sich nach einigen Monaten wegen mangelnden Interesses in Wohlgefallen auf.
Translations
2 languagesOrigin
US, 1902, presumably from shared initial pe-. Compare the use of other men’s names as slanUS, 1902, presumably from shared initial pe-. Compare the use of other men’s names as slang terms for the penis, e.g., dick, willy, johnson, John Thomas, etc.
Unknown. Attested from the 18th century. The Canting Academy defines peeter as “A portmantle”; Green’s Dictionary of Slang list a variety of uses for peter – including trunk or portmanteau – in thieves’ cant in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The OED suggests that it may be related to St. Peter being the holder of the keys to God's Kingdom.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: petersSynonyms
6 synonyms- disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope:Simon PeterSaint PeterSt. PeterSaint Peter the ApostleSt. Peter the Apostle