missionary position
3
5.3
- noun
- /ˈmɪʃənˌɛri pəˈzɪʃən/
- Offensive
:
posición del misionero
- Many couples find the missionary position comfortable and intimate during intercourse.
- sex in the missionary position
- try the missionary position
Examples
-
She undressed both of them, and then, curious to try the missionary position, which seemed the bread and butter of most people's sex lives, she pulled him on top of her, wanting to feel his weight.
Fiction book (2000) -
Jum, I think it was the standard missionary position.
-
Don't have sex in the missionary position.
-
I suppose I am left with one question: How's the missionary position treating you?
Blog text (13) -
She prefers the missionary position, but will try anything the marriage manuals endorse—"healthy" and "normal" are talismanic words.
Fiction book (1992) -
It is interesting that Keyes chose the missionary position for Claire to admit a particular fondness for, as it is the position often associated with women's passivity in sexual intercourse.
Academic text (2011) -
For beginners, the missionary position is often recommended for its simplicity and closeness.
-
The missionary position allows for eye contact, making it easy to connect with your partner.
Surface Forms
Morphology
missionary + position
The sexual meaning of 'missionary position' cannot be derived from 'missionary' (a religious envoy) plus 'position' (a physical arrangement); the connection is historical/cultural and idiomatic rather than compositional. A B1 learner who only knows the literal meanings of the constituents would not predict the sexual sense without prior exposure.
Etymology
Missionary position may come from stories about Christian missionaries who told the people they were teaching to have sex while 'facing each other' because they thought that was more 'proper'. That's why the name now refers to the sexual position where the man lies on top, facing the woman.