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[[Phimosis]] is a word that came into English from Greek. It is the name given to the condition of having a [[foreskin]] that does not retract.<refname="phimosis2016">{{REFweb
|url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/phimosis
|title=phimosis
|date=2016
|accessdate=2024-04-08
}}</ref> A foreskin will not retract when the tip of it is too narrow to [[Gliding action| glide]] back over the [[glans penis]] ,<ref name="phimosis2016" /> so that the glans penis is exposed. Phimosis is classified as a condition, not a disease. It does not threaten health, so treatment of it is elective.
In newborn boys and toddlers, [[phimosis]] is natural and normal. It protects the [[glans penis]] from injuries and contamination. This natural phimosis, which is an adhesion of the foreskin to the glans due to [[synechia]], usually resolves by puberty, and in some men even later.