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Added 9 October 2026

feminism

/ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/ noun

In Latin: feminismus First recorded: 1851 Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about feminism at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A doctrine that advocates equal rights for women.
The movement aimed at equal rights for women.

Origin

From French féminisme circa 1837, ultimately from Latin fēminīnus, from fēmina (“woman”). In the original sense of “women's movement or advocacy”, the French word was probably directly derived from fēmina, as if from Neo-Latin feminismus. First recorded in English in 1851, originally meaning “the state of being feminine”. Sense of “advocacy of women's rights” is from 1895.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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