lesbian
See also: Lesbian
English
Symbol for a lesbian union
Etymology
From Latin Lesbiana, from Ancient Greek Λέσβος (Lésbos) + Latin adjective suffix -iana; by reference to Sappho of Lesbos (whence also sapphist, sapphic), known for her sentimental poems about women. This sense of the word may have been borrowed from, or influenced by, the German cognate lesbisch, where it is found in medical literature from the 1830s.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈlɛz.bɪ.ən/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈlɛz.bi.ən/
Audio (GA) (file) - Hyphenation: lesb‧i‧an
Adjective
lesbian (comparative more lesbian, superlative most lesbian)
- (of a woman) Homosexual, gay; preferring mostly or exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.
- Lesbian fans of the show were rooting for Jane and Amanda to get together.
- (of a romantic or sexual act or relationship) Between two or more women; homosexual, gay.
- 1855 [1854], Charles Hempel, transl., Homœopathic guide in all diseases of the Urinary and Sexual Organs, Philadelphia: Rademacher & Sheek, translation of Der homöopathische Rathgeber: in allen Krankheiten der Geschlechts- und Harnwerkzeuge by Wilhelm Gollmann, page 201:
- The so-termed Lesbian love is a vice of a still more hideous and degrading nature than pederasty.
- a lesbian relationship / marriage / kiss
- 2011, Michael Bruce; Robert M. Stewart, College Sex - Philosophy for Everyone, →ISBN, page 32:
- […] Madonna's infamous nationally televised lesbian kiss with Britney Spears […]
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- (especially of an institution or group) Intended for lesbians.
- We're going to a lesbian bar tonight.
- 2000, Bonnie Zimmerman, Encyclopedia of lesbian and gay histories and cultures, volume 1, page 135:
- Some lesbians also felt comfortable in the entertainment clubs in the black section of the city; these clubs were not lesbian but were lesbian friendly.
- 2008, Carl Abbott, How cities won the West: four centuries of urban change, page 283:
- Openly gay poets such as Allen Ginsberg were prominent among the beats, and many North Beach bars were gay and lesbian as well as bohemian.
Synonyms
- (of a woman: preferring women partners): dyke (usually offensive, but reclaimed by some lesbians), gay (preferred by some lesbians), homosexual (not specific to women)
- (between women; pertaining to women's homosexuality): dyke (usually offensive, but reclaimed by some lesbians), gay (preferred by some lesbians), homosexual (not specific to women)
Translations
of a woman: preferring women partners
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between two women; pertaining to women's homosexuality
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intended for lesbians
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Noun
lesbian (plural lesbians)
- A homosexual woman, one who is mostly or exclusively sexually or romantically attracted to other women.
- 1904, Jacobus X, Crossways of Sex: A Study in Eroto-pathology, volume 1, page 2
- There have also been women who loved other women. These are the Lesbians or Tribades.
- 2020, Ana Patrícia Hilário, Fábio Rafael Augusto, Practical and Ethical Dilemmas in Researching Sensitive Topics with Populations Considered Vulnerable (page 91)
- Another Spanish-speaking respondent said that she does not identify as a lesbian because that is a term for women who like women, and as she does not like women, and so she cannot be a lesbian.
- For more quotations using this term, see Citations:lesbian.
- 1904, Jacobus X, Crossways of Sex: A Study in Eroto-pathology, volume 1, page 2
- (uncommon) A homosexual female animal.
- 1979, Terry Hekker, Ever Since Adam and Eve (New York : Morrow):
- There was one recently that determined on an island off California 14 percent of the female sea gulls were lesbians (and we know that kind of thing would never go among Nantucket sea gulls).
- 2014, George H Harrison, Birds Do It, Too: The Amazing Sex Life of Birds, Willow Creek Press, →ISBN:
- The only between this pair and others in the community is that they are among the 8 to 14 percent of the residents that are lesbians. After building their nest, the pair, two female western gulls, customarily produce twice as many eggs […]
- 1979, Terry Hekker, Ever Since Adam and Eve (New York : Morrow):
Usage notes
- Many dictionaries define lesbian simply as a woman who is sexually (or romantically[1][2]) attracted to other women.[1][3][4][5][6] It especially refers to one who is attracted mostly or exclusively to other women.[2] It is sometimes used in a way that includes other (e.g. bisexual) women who love women, or certain non-binary people.
Synonyms
- See Thesaurus:female homosexual
Hypernyms
- See Thesaurus:female homosexual
Hyponyms
- See Thesaurus:female homosexual
Derived terms
- antilesbian
- celesbian
- glam lesbian
- hasbian
- Lesbaru
- lesbiandom
- lesbianically
- lesbianic, lesbianoid, lesbianish, lesbionic
- lesbianist
- lesbianity
- lesbianization, lesbianisation
- lesbianize, lesbianise
- lesbianness, lesbianism, lesbianship, lesbianhood
- lesbie, lessie, lezzie, lesbo, lezbo, lezzo, lezzer
- lesbigay
- lesbi, lesby
- les, lez
- lezbro
- LGBT
- lipstick lesbian
- luppie
- nonlesbian
- transbian
- wasbian
Descendants
- → Hindi: लेस्बियन (lesbiyan)
- → Urdu: لسبین
Translations
homosexual woman
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See also
- beaver eater, cuntlapper/cunt-lapper
- (sexual orientations) sexual orientation; asexual (-ity, ace), bisexual (-ity, bi), demisexual (-ity, demi), graysexual (-ity), heterosexual (-ity, straight), homosexual (-ity, gay, lesbian), omnisexual (-ity), pansexual (-ity, pan), plurisexual (-ity), polysexual (-ity), robosexual (-ity), sapiosexual (-ity), androsexual (-ity), gynesexual (-ity), vegansexual (-ity) (Category: en:Sexual orientations)
Verb
lesbian (third-person singular simple present lesbians, present participle lesbianing, simple past and past participle lesbianed)
- (informal, nonstandard, transitive, intransitive) To (cause to) take part in lesbian sex, or other lesbian activity.
- 2014, Ian Collin, Angels of The North (page 107)
- That's the way I want to go – Lesbianed to death.
- 2016, April Kalogeropoulos Householder, Adrienne Trier-Bieniek, Feminist Perspectives on Orange Is the New Black (page 85)
- Surveillance by other inmates creates yet another dimension of power and control. Angry with Chapman and Vause, Dogget tells Healy that she has witnessed the two “lesbianing” in the shower, […]
- 2014, Ian Collin, Angels of The North (page 107)
References
- “lesbian”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
- Oxford English Dictionary, 1884–1928, and First Supplement, 1933. online ("a woman [...] attracted (esp. wholly or largely) to other women")
- “lesbian”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- Pocket Oxford English Dictionary (→ISBN, 2013), edited by Maurice Waite, page 522
- “lesbian” in the Cambridge English Dictionary, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- “lesbian” (US) / “lesbian” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
Anagrams
- Nieblas, ansible, bilanes
Interlingua
Adjective
lesbian (not comparable)
- lesbian
Hypernyms
- homosexual
Derived terms
- lesbiana
Romanian
Etymology
Borrowed from French lesbien.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /les.biˈan/
Adjective
lesbian m or n (feminine singular lesbiană, masculine plural lesbieni, feminine and neuter plural lesbiene)
- lesbian
Declension
Declension of lesbian
| singular | plural | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| masculine | neuter | feminine | masculine | neuter | feminine | ||
| nominative/ accusative | indefinite | lesbian | lesbiană | lesbieni | lesbiene | ||
| definite | lesbianul | lesbiana | lesbienii | lesbienele | |||
| genitive/ dative | indefinite | lesbian | lesbiene | lesbieni | lesbiene | ||
| definite | lesbianului | lesbienei | lesbienilor | lesbienelor | |||
See also
- lesbiană