tribade

T1R1I1B3A1D2E1
UK/ˈtɹɪbəd/UK/tɹɪˈbɑːd/

noun

A woman who engages in sexual activity with another woman; a lesbian.

First used 16th c.Scrabble 10

Meanings

nountribade (plural tribades)

plural tribades

  1. A woman who engages in sexual activity with another woman; a lesbian.First known use 16th c.

    Go, cramp dull Mars, light Venus, when he snorts, / Or with thy tribade trine invent new sports; / Thou, nor thy looseness with my making sorts.

    a. 1637, Ben Jonson, Præludium
    2 more examples

    A century later, however, homosexuality among English women seems to have been regarded by the French as common, and Bacchaumont[…] added: "Her taste for women will there find attractive satisfaction, for though Paris furnishes many tribades it is said that London is herein superior."

    1927, Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, 3rd edition, volume 2

    I roused Zero’s suspicions because I began to behave too much like a woman and he started to watch me warily for signs of the tribade. If he had spied any, or surprised me fingering any of his girls, he would have shot me.

    1977, Angela Carter, The Passion of New Eve

Synonyms & antonyms

nouna female homosexual

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekτρίβω“to rub”
  2. Koine Greekτριβάς
  3. Latintribad-
  4. Middle Frenchtribade
  5. Englishtribade

From Middle French tribade, and its source, Latin tribad-, from Koine Greek τριβάς (tribás), from Ancient Greek τρίβω (tríbō, “to rub”).

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with tribade

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

tribade. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tribade

MLA

“tribade.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tribade. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tribade,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tribade.

Source: tribade on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.