lesbian

lesbian
\ \ [16] Originally, and for many centuries, Lesbian simply meant ‘of Lesbos’, referring to the Aegean island of that name, off the Turkish coast. Then, in the second half of the 19th century, probably some time before 1870, it embarked on a more sensational career. The lyric poet Sappho (c. 600 BC) lived on Lesbos, and she was noted for the love poems she wrote to other women. Her name was invoked directly (in Sapphism) around this time as a genteel literary allusion to female homosexuality, but it was the even more deeply euphemistic lesbian that went on to become the main English term in this area.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • lesbian — LESBIÁN, Ă, lesbieni, e, subst., adj. 1. s.m. şi f. Persoană care face parte din populaţia de bază a insulei Lesbos sau este originară de acolo. 2. adj. Care aparţine Lesbosului sau populaţiei lui, privitor la Lesbos sau la populaţia lui. 3. s.f …   Dicționar Român

  • Lesbian — Les bi*an (l[e^]z b[i^]*an), a. 1. Of or pertaining to the island anciently called Lesbos, now Mitylene, in the Grecian Archipelago. [1913 Webster] 2. Amatory; erotic; in allusion to the reputed sensuality of the Lesbian people and literature; as …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lesbian — (adj.) 1590s, pertaining to the island of Lesbos, from L. Lesbius, from Gk. lesbios of Lesbos, Greek island in northeastern Aegean Sea (the name originally may have meant wooded ), home of Sappho, great lyric poet whose erotic and romantic verse… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Lesbian — Les bi*an (l[e^]z b[i^]*an), n. a female homosexual. Syn: dyke[vulgar, deprecatory]. [PJC] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • lesbian — ► NOUN ▪ a homosexual woman. ► ADJECTIVE ▪ referring to lesbians or lesbianism. DERIVATIVES lesbianism noun. ORIGIN from Lesbos, Greek island and home of Sappho (early 7th century BC), who expressed affection for women in her poetry …   English terms dictionary

  • lesbian — [lez′bē ən] adj. [L Lesbius < Gr Lesbios] 1. [L ] of Lesbos or its people or cultureof Lesbos or its people or culture 2. [from the eroticism or homosexuality attributed to Sappho and her followers in Lesbos] [sometimes L ] a) of homosexuality …   English World dictionary

  • Lesbian — This article is about the sexual orientation. For other uses, see Lesbian (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • lesbian — 01. Diane has been in a [lesbian] relationship with her partner for three years. 02. Rachel was married for a number of years before realizing she was, in fact, a [lesbian]. 03. [Lesbian] couples and gay couples have the same rights and… …   Grammatical examples in English

  • lesbian — [[t]le̱zbiən[/t]] ♦♦♦ lesbians 1) ADJ Lesbian is used to describe homosexual women. Many of her best friends were lesbian. N COUNT A lesbian is a woman who is lesbian. ...a youth group for lesbians, gays and bisexuals. 2) ADJ Lesbian is used to… …   English dictionary

  • lesbian — {{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}} noun ADJECTIVE ▪ butch ▪ femme, lipstick ▪ out ▪ She s an out lesbian. ▪ closet …   Collocations dictionary

  • lesbian — UK [ˈlezbɪən] / US noun [countable] Word forms lesbian : singular lesbian plural lesbians a woman who is sexually attracted to women. You can describe men or women who are sexually attracted to members of the same sex as gay or homosexual.… …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”