Circumcision set.jpg|right|thumb|Seixas Family circumcision set and trunk, ca. eighteenth century.
Wooden box covered in cow hide with silver implements: silver trays, clip, pointer, silver flask, spice vessel.]] Circumcision is the removal of some or all of the foreskin (prepuce) from the penis. The frenulum may also be removed at the same time, in a procedure called frenectomy. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin circum (meaning "around") and caedere (meaning "to cut").

The practice of circumcision predates recorded human history, with depictions found in stone-age cave drawings and Egyptian tombs. as quoted in: The origins of the practice are lost in antiquity. Theories include that circumcision is a form of ritual sacrifice or offering, a sign of submission to a deity, a rite of passage to adulthood, a mark of defeat or slavery, or an attempt to alter esthetics or sexuality. Circumcision continues to be performed as a religious requirement on members of the Muslim and Jewish faiths, and also the majority of Americans, South Koreans and Filipinos.

Non-therapeutic infant circumcision has become controversial in recent decades. Medical associations in the US, Australia, and Canada do not recommend routine non-therapeutic circumcision. In the US and UK, when circumcision is chosen, it is largely because of social or cultural expectations, rather than medical concerns. The genital integrity movement condemns non-therapeutic infant circumcision as a form of male genital mutilation that they consider comparable to female genital cutting. Those who support circumcision often explain their view in terms of what they consider to be the medical benefits of the procedure.

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