Dictionary.com
definitions
  • synonyms

tribadism

[trib-uh-diz-uh m]
noun
  1. lesbianism.
Show More

Origin of tribadism

First recorded in 1810–20; tribade + -ism
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for tribadism

tribadism

noun
  1. a lesbian practice in which one partner lies on top of the other and simulates the male role in heterosexual intercourse
Show More
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 tribadism

n.

1811, with -ism + tribade (n.), c.1600, "a lesbian," from French tribade (16c.) or directly from Latin tribas, from Greek tribas, from tribein "to rub," from PIE root *ter- "to rub, turn, twist" (see throw). In reference to a specific sexual technique, from 1965.

Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper