lesbian

[ lez-bee-uhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

1. a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women; a gay woman.
2. a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to other women; a gay woman.
Lesbian, an inhabitant of the island of Lesbos.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to people of her own sex or gender.
2. of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted exclusively to people of her own sex or gender.
Sometimes Lesbian. erotic; sensual
Lesbian, of or relating to Lesbos.

lesbian

/ ˈ��ɛ��ɪə�� /

noun

a female homosexual

adjective

of or characteristic of lesbians

Lesbian

/ ˈ��ɛ��ɪə�� /

noun

a native or inhabitant of Lesbos
the Aeolic dialect of Ancient Greek spoken in Lesbos

adjective

of or relating to Lesbos
of or relating to the poetry of Lesbos, esp that of Sappho

lesbian

A homosexual woman. ( See also gay .)

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Usage Note

��'s the difference between lesbian and Sapphic? See gay ( def ).

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Derived Forms

ˈ��Ծ��, noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of lesbian¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin Lesbi(us) “Lesbian” (from Greek ��é��ǲ�, equivalent to ��é��(�ǲ�) “Lesbos” ( Lesbos ) + -ios adjective suffix) + -an; lesbian defs 1, 3 allude to the poet Sappho of Lesbos, whose verse deals largely with her emotional relationships with other women

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Word History and Origins

Origin of lesbian¹

C19: from the homosexuality attributed to Sappho

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

She also made waves when she said being in the house had made her decide to identify as queer instead of lesbian.

From

"He said: 'We needed to respect human dignity and basic rights and standards for all people, including people who are gay or lesbian or trans, Mr Varadkar'," the former taoiseach added.

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Local businesses, such as recently closed Silver Lake lesbian bar the Ruby Fruit, have printed their own iterations to cater to their clientele.

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Siwa accused Rourke of being "homophobic" for saying he was "going to vote the lesbian out real quick" and making other comments about her sexuality.

From

Siwa accused Rourke, 72, of being "homophobic" for saying he was "going to vote the lesbian out real quick" and making other comments about her sexuality.

From

Le Sage Lesbian cymatium

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