Tribbing is a sexual activity where one person rubs their genitals (most commonly vulva to vulva) against a partner’s body for pleasure. The focus is on grinding or rubbing and it can be done in many positions.
Tribbing is an umbrella term. It includes different forms of genital-to-body or genital-to-genital contact, such as rubbing against a partner’s thighs, pubic area, hips, or vulva. Scissoring is one specific position that falls under tribbing, but not all tribbing looks like scissoring.
Tribbing is frequently confused with "cum tributes," though they are unrelated.
Origins of the Term
Tribbing comes from tribadism, a much older term rooted in Ancient Greek. The Greek verb "tribo" means “to rub.” From this, "tribas" was used in classical texts to describe a woman who rubbed against other women for sexual pleasure.
Today, tribbing is used descriptively to refer to non-penetrative sexual stimulation through genital or body rubbing. It is commonly discussed in queer and sex-positive contexts.
