# What the words mean

## bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism

Short form: BDSM

The umbrella term for a wide set of consensual practices between adults. It is a family of interests, not one activity.

Example: Their profile lists BDSM among their interests.

What it is not: Not a single act, and not the same as sadism and masochism on their own, which are one part of it.

## How each entry is written

Each entry says what the term means on KinkEU, gives one example of how it is used, and says what it is not when it is often confused with something else. A role is never a gender, so no entry says who holds it. An entry explains a word. It is not a guide to doing anything.

## The same words in the app

These are the definitions the app shows when you tap a term. They are written once, so the meaning here and the meaning on a profile are always the same.

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https://kinkeu.com/en/glossary/bdsm/