The terms "feminism" or "feminist" first appeared in France and The Netherlands in 1872 (as les féministes),[12] Great Britain in the 1890s, and the United States in 1910.[13][14] The Oxford English Dictionary lists 1894 for the first appearance of "feminist" and 1895 for "feminism".[15] The UK Daily News first introduced "feminist" to the English language, importing it from France and branding it as dangerous. "What our Paris Correspondent describes as a 'Feminist' group... in the French Chamber of Deputies".[16] Prior to that time, "Woman's Rights" was probably the term used most commonly, hence Queen Victoria's description of this "mad, wicked folly of 'Woman's Rights'".[17]
Defining feminism can be challenging, but a broad understanding of it includes the acting, speaking, writing, and advocating on behalf of women's issues and rights and identifying injustice to females in the social status quo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_feminism

I swear I read that entire page today, but that part went right by me.