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frot·tage

(frô-täzh)

a. The act of rubbing against or touching the body of an unsuspecting person, as in a crowd, to attain sexual gratification.

b. The act of consensual rubbing between two or more people, either clothed or unclothed, to attain sexual gratification.

a. A method of making a design by placing a piece of paper on top of an object and then rubbing over it, as with a pencil or charcoal.

b. A design so made.

[French, from frotter, to rub, from Old French froter.]

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frottage

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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