cicisbeism: Meaning and Definition of

ci•cis•be•ism

Pronunciation: (chē"chiz-bā'iz-um or, older, si-sis'bē-), [key]
— n.
  1. the social custom of having a cicisbeo, as practiced esp. in Italy in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.