As with in all communities there is jargon and language that you must understand to be able to truly understand the community. In the BDSM and Kink communities there are soooo many terms and jargon so Gaia has started a glossary to help you out! Declaimer:It is important to understand that each person and different BDSM communities may have different definitions for these terms. This Empress Gaia’s Definitions!

BDSM: An overlapping abbreviation of Bondage and Discipline (BD), Dominance and Submission (DS), Sadism and Masochism (SM).Master and Slave (MS)

Power Exchange: Power exchange is a term that is frequently used to describe dominance and submission relationships in the BDSM community. These types of relationships involve submissive partners whom willingly and voluntarily relinquish control to their dominant partners, either in certain situation, for a specified period of time, or completely.

Dom: Short form for the Dominant partner

Domme: Female Dominate

Femdom: Female Dominate- Sometimes Professional Dom that is hired

Dominant: Is the partner that is in charge in the BDSM experience

Dominatrix: Female Dom

Pro- Dom/ Femdom/Domme/ Dominatrix: Professional Dom that is paid and hired

Submissive: The person that surrenders control and power to another in BDSM experience

Sub: Short form for submissive

Top: The person in charge in a scene or sexual experience but not in the relationship. Usually happens at a kink play party or just in that sexual experience

Bottom: The person that gives up power and control or is the one receiving the kinking activity in the moment but not in the relationship. Usually happens at a kink play party or just in that sexual experience

Topping from the bottom: Trying to control the Dom. and the situation while pretending to be submissive

Brat: Defiant of the Dom either overt or subtle usually to get punished

Slave: a person that gives up all control and power to be completely owned by their Master or Mistress. Usually for set amount of time that is predetermined

Master: Male owner of consensual slave

Mistress: Female owner of consensual slave

Sadist: A person who derives pleasure, especially sexual gratification, from inflicting pain or humiliation on others.

Masochist: A person who derives sexual gratification from their own pain or humiliation.

Bondage: In the BDSM subculture, is the practice of consensually tying, binding, or restraining a partner for erotic, aesthetic, or somatosensory stimulation.

Impact play: Is a human sexual practice in which one person (the bottom) is struck (usually repeatedly) by another person (the Top) for the gratification of either or both parties which may or may not be sexual in nature. It is considered a form of BDSM.

Sissification: also known as Feminization :To feminize a man, most often by forcing him to wear women’s clothing, typically gaudy and overly feminine to enhance his humiliation.

Kink: Any sexual activity or sexual fantasy that is not vanilla.

Vanilla: Sexual activity that only includes, kissing lips , missionary sexual position with the lights off. Maybe some light petting of one another genitals

Fetish: An item or sexual act or non sexualized body part that must be a part of every sexual experience for the person to have sexual gratification

Foot Fetish:Sexual aroused by feet. Engagement with feet must be a part of the sexual experience for sexual gratification

Foot Kink: Sexual aroused by feet. However it doesn’t have to be present in every sexual experience for sexual gratification

Spanking: Consensual hitting or being hit for sexual gratification, usually on the bum

OTK: Over The Knee spanking

Aftercare: The time that is spent after BDSM play session where the Top/Dom makes sure the Bottom/Sub is taken care of emotionally, physically and psychologically

Scene: In the BDSM community a scene is what a BDSM session is called. It refers to whole experience from the start of the BDSM play to the end of the play

Play Session: Is referred to the engagement of actual BDSM activity

Kink Play Party: BDSM house party that kink and BDSM activities are happening at. There may or may not be penetrative sexual activity allowed

Play Party: Depending what community is using the term: in BDSM it is kinky , Swinging community is it a sex party

Play: Usually referred to BDSM activities or sexual activities

Safe Words: Word that are used during BDSM play. In general they are Green= more, Yellow =Checking in or getting close to stopping and Red = Stop NOW. However people can make up their own safe words that works for them. It is important to have safe words that are not NO or Yes as there are lots of BDSM play that people may use the word NO and Yes when they don’t really mean them. Jsut make sure the safe words mean: more, checking in and stop now

Role play: Pretending and take on the traits of a character that is not you, for sexual gratification. Example; prison guard and prisoner , teacher and student, doctor and patient

CBT: Stands for Cock, Ball, Torture or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy

Pegging: Male being anal penetrated by a strap-on

Funishment: Is using spanking, pain and humiliation as reward and for sexual gratification