Lesbian Meaning
/ˈlɛz.bi.ən/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjHomosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.
adjHomosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners., Preferring primarily women as romantic or sexual partners.
Sentence Examples
Sappho was a famous Lesbian poet.
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.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
At the pride parade, she came out as a ____ who is exclusively attracted to women.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ community has fought for many years to achieve equal rights and recognition in many countries today.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The so-termed Lesbian love is a vice of a still more hideous and degrading nature than pederasty."
— 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:
"[…] Madonna's infamous nationally televised lesbian kiss with Britney Spears […]"
— 2011, Michael Bruce, Robert M. Stewart, College Sex - Philosophy for Everyone, →ISBN, page 32:
"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."
— 2000, Bonnie Zimmerman, Encyclopedia of lesbian and gay histories and cultures, volume 1, page 135:
"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."
— 2008, Carl Abbott, How cities won the West: four centuries of urban change, page 283:
"There have also been women who loved other women. These are the Lesbians or Tribades."
— 1904, Jacobus X, Crossways of Sex: A Study in Eroto-pathology, volume 1, page 2:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
At the pride parade, she came out as a ____ who is exclusively attracted to women.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ community has fought for many years to achieve equal rights and recognition in many countries today.