lesbian

CEFRB2

/ˈlɛz.bi.ən/

noun · adjective

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A woman who is romantically or sexually attracted to women.

  2. 02

    adjective

    Relating to women who are attracted to women.

Examples

  • Adoption for gay and lesbian parents remains a hotly contested issue in the United States.

  • The organization supports rights and resources for the local lesbian community.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

  1. Between two or more women; homosexual, gay.

adjective

Extra meanings

  1. Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.

  2. Preferring primarily women as romantic or sexual partners.

More examples

In context

  • Sappho was a famous Lesbian poet.

  • Lesbian fans of the show were rooting for Jane and Amanda to get together.

  • We're going to a lesbian bar tonight.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

At the pride parade, she came out as a blank who is exclusively attracted to women.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.