Etymologically
Log in

lesbian

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 13:52. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈlɛz.bi.ən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin Lesbius (“of Lesbos”), from Greek Λέσβιος (Lésbios), from Λέσβος (Lésbos), the Greek island in the north-eastern Aegean,[2][3][4] and -ian.[5][6] The island was the home of Sappho, the lyric poet whose verse expressed affection for women.[3][7][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or relating to the island of Lesbos: 1601 in the OED and Barnhart, the 1590s in Etymonline;[8][2][3] MWU dates it to 1567.[4]

Semantic evolution

Word Origins notes that little is known of Sappho's life, but the fragments of her poems express affection and admiration for women, so people came to associate her with female homosexuality.[7] Sappho's association with love between women dates in English writing to at least 1732,[3] and Word Origins says she inspired lesbian and sapphic in the mid-18th century.[7] The adjective, relating to homosexuality between women, is in continuous use from 1890,[3][8][2] lesbianism from 1870,[3][8] and the noun, a homosexual woman, from 1925.[3][8][2] Barnhart notes the lower-case form is first recorded in the 1960s.[2]

Timeline

  • 1567 – of Lesbos (MWU).[4]
  • 1601 – of Lesbos.[8][2]
  • 1732 – Sappho associated with love between women.[3]
  • 1870 – lesbianism.[3][8]
  • 1890 – relating to female homosexuality.[3][8]
  • 1925 – the noun.[3][8]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women.

Adjective

  1. Relating to lesbians or lesbianism.
  2. (Lesbian) Of or relating to the island of Lesbos.

Word family

  • lesbianism

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press