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suffragette

By Jone Johnson Lewis, About.com

Definition: Suffragette is a term sometimes used for women active in the woman suffrage movement.

A London newspaper first used the term suffragette. British women in the suffrage movement adopted the term for themselves, though earlier the term they used was "suffragist."

In America, the preferred term by the activists was "suffragist" or "suffrage worker." "Suffragette" was considered a disparaging term in America, much as "women's lib" (short for "women's liberation") was considered a disparaging and belittling term in the 1960s and 1970s.

Also Known As: suffragist, suffrage worker
Common Misspellings: sufragette, suffragete, suffrigette

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