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definitions

sapphism

[ saf-iz-uh m ]
/ ˈsæf ɪz əm /

noun

lesbianism.

Nearby words

  1. sapphic,
  2. sapphic ode,
  3. sapphira,
  4. sapphire,
  5. sapphirine,
  6. sappho,
  7. sapporo,
  8. sappy,
  9. sapraemia,
  10. sapremia

Origin of sapphism

First recorded in 1885–90; Sapph(o) + -ism
Related formssap·phist, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
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
Word Origin and History for sapphism

Sapphism

n.

"homosexual relations between women," 1890; see Sapphic + -ism.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for sapphism

sapphism

[ săf′ĭz′əm ]

n.

Lesbianism.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.