sapphism

[ saf-iz-uhm ]

/ ˈsæf ɪz əm /

Save This Word!

noun

lesbianism.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of sapphism

First recorded in 1885–90; Sapph(o) + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM sapphism

sapphist, noun

Words nearby sapphism

Sapphic, Sapphic ode, Sapphira, sapphire, sapphirine, sapphism, Sappho, Sapporo, sappy, sapraemia, sapremia

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sapphism in a sentence

I might also instance two sisters of the gardener caste, both widows, who 'lived apart' and indulged in simultaneous sapphism.
Studies in the Psychology of Sex, Volume 2 (of 6)|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for sapphism

sapphism

/ (ˈsæfɪzəm) /

noun

a less common word for lesbianismSee lesbianism

Word Origin for sapphism

C19: after Sappho, who is believed to have been a lesbian

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012