Tribadism
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Tribadism or tribbing is female-to-female genital sex. Two women rub their vulvae together to stimulate each other's clitoris to orgasm.
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Terminology
Etymology
The term tribadism is thought to ultimately derive from the ancient Greek word "to rub" tribein τρίβειν.
Originally ancient Greeks used the term "tribadism" tribadismos τριβαδισμός with a different meaning. Greek culture recognized same sex attraction, but men were expected to always be the penetrator and women the penetrated. A man who wished to be penetrated (by a male or female partner) was called a "pathic" pathikos παθικός, and a woman who wished to penetrate (a female or male partner) was called a "tribade" tribas τρίβας. Therefore for the Greeks, the term "tribadism" more-or-less referred to a woman using a strap-on dildo. See Pegging. Now the term tribadism rarely has this meaning, except in reference to the ancient world.
Tribadism was the closest cultural equivalent in classical literature to what we now call lesbianism, and consequently has historically been used as a synonym. It was still used with this meaning until the middle of the 20th century (sometime before 1965).
Many dictionaries assume tribadism derives from the ancient Greek verb "to rub" tribein. This understanding probably influenced how the term came to specify female-female genital sex, as mutual genital "rubbing".
The English verb to trib derives from an abbreviation of tribadism, but may be under the influence of a scholarly borrowing directly from the ancient Greek verb "to rub" tribein.
Colloquialisms
Colloquially tribbing is known as "bumping fur," "scissoring," or "scissorfighting." Slang includes "bumping donuts," "slamming clams," "train spotting," "clit-clatting," and so on.
Some Latin American countries dub the act "making tortillas" since the physical act reminds them of the hand motions used for hand-flattening tortillas.
A less common term derives from ancient Chinese texts, "polishing mirrors" mó jìng (磨镜).
Sometimes the term tribbing is used improperly to mean any form of rubbing a woman's vulva, even if her partner is male. For this sense, see the terms frottage and outercourse, which include all forms of sexual rubbing.
Some musical bands are named after tribadism, such as the Scissor Sisters, Scissorfight, and the lesbian punk band Tribe 8.
Tribadism among bonobo females
Bonobos in Zaire are one of the closest related primates to humans, being 97% genetically identical. Bonobo females also engage in female-female genital sex, usually known as GG rubbing (Genito-Genital). It is the most frequent sex activity among bonobos. Females use GG rubbing to socially bond with each other, thus forming a female nucleus of bonobo society. While bonobo society is nonviolent and egalitarian, friendships among females organizes their offspring who maintain lifelong loyalty to their mothers. In this way, females often have more influence in group decisions. Adolescent females often leave their troop of birth to join another troop. Sexual bonding with other females establishes the new females as members of the group. This troop migration mixes the bonobo gene pools.
See also
- List of sexual positions
- Outercourse or frottage, various forms of sexual rubbing
References
- J. N. Adams The Latin Sexual Vocabulary, 1982, ISBN 0-8018-4106-2
- David M. Halperin "homosexuality" (pp. 722-3) in The Oxford Classical Dictionary, third edition, 1996, ISBN 0-19-866172-X
External links and references
- Gay Sex Editorials - Articles about homosexuality by sexologists.de:Tribadie