Lesbian

lesbian English Etymology From en la Lesbius Lesbian (for further etymology, see grc Λέσβος) + adjective suffix en -an, from Latin adjective suffix la -anus. The sense of “gay woman” is a reference to Sappho, a famous inhabitant of Lesbos and gay poet. Noun ~ en countable A native or inhabitant of Lesbos. en Lesvian Lesviot Lesbosian rare rare en linguistics uncountable The variety of Aeolic Greek spoken on Lesbos from about 800 to 300 b.c., best known from the writings of Sappho and Alcaeus of Mytilene. en historical A sweet, mild wine made on Lesbos in ancient times. en 1597 John King Lectures upon Jonas 1 Our Saviour in the gospel preferreth old wine before new; & Aristotle liketh better of the wine of Lesbos, the the wine of Rhodes; he affirmeth both to be good, but the Lesbian the more pleasant, alluding vnder that parable to the successour of his schoole, and noting his choise rather of Theophrastus borne at Lesbos, then Menedemus at Rhodes. en 1775 Edward Barry Observations, Historical, Critical, and Medical, on the Wines of the Ancients 99 but the best Greek Wines, the Chian, Lesbian, Coan, &c. were equally prepared in the same manner; and we have reason to think that the same process was more generally used, and in preparing some of the best and most generous Italian wines. en 1841 William Jacobs The self-instructing Latin classic 187 More capacious bowls bring hither, boy, and the Chian wine or the Lesbian : or what might restrain this flowing qualm; en 1886 John Ellis The Wine Question in the Light of the New Dispensation 12 Horace, born 65 B.C., says that there is no wine sweeter to drink than Lesbian, and that it was perfectly harmless and would not produce intoxication. en countable en lesbian gay woman. Translations native or inhabitant of the island of Lesbos Finnish: fi lesbolainen, fi lesboslainen French: fr Lesbien m, fr Lesbienne f German: de Lesviot m, de Lesviotin f, de Lesvonier m, de Lesvonierin f, de Lesbier m, de Lesbierin f Greek: el Λέσβιος m, el Μυτιληναίος m, el Μυτιληναία f, el Μυτιληνιός m, el Μυτιληνιά f Marathi: mr लेस्बियन Polish: pl Lesbijczyk m-pr, pl Lesbijka f lesbian Adjective Of or pertaining to the island of Lesbos. en Lesbosian en 1805 J. Griffiths Travels in Europe, Asia Minor, and Arabia https://archive.org/stream/travelsineurope00grifgoog#page/n266/mode/2up T. Cadell London 232 Within twenty-four hours of quitting the security of a Lesbian port, all the contrarieties I had experienced were to be exceeded by the horrors of a tremendous hurricane. en linguistics Of or pertaining to the Lesbian variety of Aeolic Greek. en lesbian of women: gay. en 1901 1985 Mary MacLane A Day at a Time Margo Culley http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=AuSEUamWbu0C&pg=PA201&lpg=PA201&sig=Z9-5jaiECN2E7wfPovslRHvbbNc Except two breeds—the stupid and the narrowly feline—all women have a touch of the Lesbian: an assertion all good non-analytic creatures refute with horror, but quite true: there is always the poignant intensive personal taste, the flair of inner-sex, in the tenderest friendships of women. en 1984 Audre Lorde Sister Outsider http://books.google.com/books?ie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=GrPNpSSJrYYC&pg=PA132&lpg=PA132&sig=hfJS9AwzFIj86Ev0MSw76SJECck One woman wrote, “Because you are Black and Lesbian, you seem to speak with the moral authority of suffering.” Yes, I am Black and Lesbian, and what you hear in my voice is fury, not suffering. 1989, Florence King, Reflections in a Jaundiced Eye Suddenly open enrollment struck the Sapphic elite and dykes-for-the-masses were everywhere. We got the Lesbian detective, the Lesbian ghost, the Lesbian vampire, the possessed Lesbian, the Lesbian next door, the Lesbian with a heart of gold, the kept Lesbian, the other Lesbian, the Lesbian amnesiac, the Lesbian with cancer, and just plain Butch. en archaic Amatory; erotic. Lesbian novels Usage notes The sense "gay" is now usually not capitalized; see en lesbian. Compare en gay, which is sometimes capitalized en Gay though there is no reason for it to be according to the English language's usual rules for capitalization. Derived terms Lesbian rule Translations of the island of Lesbos Dutch: nl Lesbisch French: fr lesbien German: de lesbisch, de leviotisch, de lesvonisch Greek: Ancient Greek: grc Λέσβιος Polish: pl lesbijski lesbian Anagrams en abeilns Nieblas ansible bilanes en Greek demonyms