suffragism means A political movement in the late 19th century that fought for women's right to vote in Great Britain and the United States. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 92 out of 100.
Why “suffragism” is a great word
SUFFRAGISM — [Noun] The organized doctrine and movement for extending the franchise, most specifically to women. From suffrage (meaning “a vote; the right to vote,” from Latin suffragium) + the suffix -ism (denoting a distinctive practice, system, or philosophy). Formed within English; first attested in 1840. Unlike “suffragette,” which denotes the militant individual campaigner, or “feminism,” which encompasses the broader struggle for social equality, suffragism is the precise ideological engine for that foundational political right. It is the dry rustle of petition papers in a parlor, the disciplined weight of a banner in a silent march, and the collective anticipation before a speech in a crowded hall—the granular, monumental labor of making the fundamental act of marking a paper seem, at last, inevitable.
Etymology
From suffrage + -ism.
noun
- A political movement in the late 19th century that fought for women's right to vote in Great Britain and the United States.