It might be a locale-centric thing, but I’m pretty sure that the word ‘Member’ is another word for ‘Penis’ where I come from. how did that meaning originate?
One of the definitions of “member” is a physical limb or extremity, so I assume it’s meant in that sense.
“Members Only”.
Sorry, first thing that came up. :rolleyes:
An earlier age used to use “virile member” for that particular extremity. Or “membrum virile”, if they wished to sound erudite.
And we all know where the …uh… Male Meatus is, right?
I think that’s where we got that delightful little tune:
“I beat my meat on the toilet seat, doo dah, doo dah”… 
Y’all wanna change the subject yet? 
Q
Actually, it’s the other way around from what you might expect. Member, cognate with Latin membrum, meant a body part, particularly an appendage: finger, toe, tentacle, proboscis, penis, external ear, etc.
St. Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians uses an extended metaphor, that Christians generally and in particular the church members of Corinth, are all parts of the Mystical Body of Christ, his “appendages” through which his work in this world is done – and each appendage, each “member” should work in concert with support of the others. This metaphor gave rise to the more common modern use, through the image of the Church as Christ’s Body, and its members (modern sense) as his members (ancient sense). From the use as church members, it got extended to being members of any organization and then of any classification group, to the extent that the original meaning of appendage is only preserved in fossil uses like “virile member” for penis.
Polycarp is making me feel like a real Sleaze-Ball with all those high-falutin’ Biblical insinuendoes of his.
What I wanna know is where we got the expression “shaking hands with the Bishop”!
Q
Hey, Quasi, look what word is right under your name in your post.
It’s not limited to English, either. An expression for penis in German is männliches Glied, which means “male member”. The word Mitglied means a member, as in a club.
Also recall that the word “dismember” means to tear limb from limb, as if any sort of appendage is considered a member.
Interestingly, “penis” is the very first (and oldest) sense of “member” listed in the OED! :eek: Citations go back to c1300, and the oldest one that I can actually make sense of is the following:
According to one Modern English translation of this piece, the meaning is “they sewed fig-leaves together into a kind of breeches to hide their members.” (The Canterbury Tales -- Chapter 52)
(This is in reference to the story of Adam and Eve. Apparently, “member” can also refer to female genitalia, or at least it used to be able to.)
Have you heard of the Widow O’Reilly,
Who esteemed her late husband so highly
That in spite of the scandal
Her umbrella handle
Was made of his membrum virile?
If that’s a serious question, a bishop’s miter superficially resembles the head of a penis.
Of course, any word whatsoever can mean “penis”, in the right context.
In the engineering/construction world, the components of a structural system, like columns and beams are referred to as members. I had thought the origin of the use of the word “member” for penis might have originated from there.
Well, they do build erections.
Guess I know what that makes me, then! 
Which reminds me…
Back in late July/early August, I was in Colorado for a cycling event, and I stayed at a very nice hotel in Fort Collins. (Beautiful scenery!)
As I was getting on the elevator with my TREK, a young man about to deliver a pizza got on with me, and he was wearing a jacket on the back of which were written the words, “You ARE What You Eat”.
So I complimented him on that phrase and informed him that “I guess that makes me a pussy!”
I made that kid’s day, I think!
Sometimes the old jokes are the best ones!
Quasi
I have a fondness for Victorian pornographic literature (the most repressive societies create the most twisted porn). I ran across references to a a man’s “Member for Cock-shire” - which of course was upstanding.