lesbian

See also Lesbian

English

Etymology

From Latin Lesbiana, from Ancient Greek Λέσβος (Lesbos) + Latin adjective suffix -iana; by reference to Sappho of Lesbos (whence also sapphist), known for her sentimental poems about women.

Adjective

lesbian (comparative more lesbian, superlative most lesbian)

1. (of a woman) Homosexual; preferring female romantic or sexual partners.

   She is lesbian.

2. (of a romantic relationship or pairing) Homosexual, specifically between two women.

   She's involved in a lesbian relationship.

   Lesbian marriage is still illegal in some nations.

3. (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 female partners): dyke (usually offensive, but reclaimed by some lesbians), gay (preferred by many lesbians), homosexual (not specific to female homosexuality)
• (between two women; pertaining to female homosexuality): dyke (usually offensive, but reclaimed by some lesbians), gay (preferred by many lesbians), homosexual (not specific to female homosexuality)

Translations

of a woman: preferring female partners

• Finnish: lesbolainen (fi)
• German: lesbisch (de)

• Jèrriais: lesbien
• Swedish: lesbisk (sv)

between two women; pertaining to female homosexuality

• Afrikaans: lesbies (af)
• Bengali: লেসবিয়ান (bn) (lesbian)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (formal) 女同性戀的 (cmn), 女同性恋的 (cmn) (nǚtóngxìngliàn de), (slang) 女同的 (cmn) (nǚtóng de), (slang) 拉拉的 (cmn) (lālā de)

• Danish: lesbisk (da)
• Finnish: lesbo- (fi), lesbolainen (fi), lesbo (fi)
• French: lesbien (fr) m
• German: lesbisch (de)
• Greek: λεσβιακός (el) (lesviakós)
• Irish: leispiach (ga)
• Italian: lesbico (it) m, lesbica (it) f

• Japanese: レズの (ja) (rezu-no), レズビアンの (ja) (rezubian-no), レズビアン (ja) (rezubian)
• Jèrriais: lesbien
• Korean: 레즈비언 (ko) (lejeubieon)
• Luxembourgish: lesbesch (lb)
• Russian: лесбийский (ru) (lesbíjskij), лесбиянский (ru) (lesbijánskij)
• Scottish Gaelic: leasbach (gd)
• Spanish: lesbiana (es)
• Swahili: shoga (sw)
• Swedish: lesbisk (sv)
• Turkish: lezbiyen (tr)

intended for lesbians

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: (formal) 女同性戀的 (cmn), 女同性恋的 (cmn) (nǚtóngxìngliàn de), (slang) 女同的 (cmn) (nǚtóng de), (slang) 拉拉的 (cmn) (lālā de)

• Finnish: lesbo- (fi)
• German: Lesben- (de)

• Italian: lesbico (it) m, lesbica (it) f
• Scottish Gaelic: leasbach (gd)
• Swedish: lesbisk (sv)
• Turkish: lezbiyen (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Czech: lesbický (cs) m
• Esperanto: lesba
• French: lesbien (fr) m, lesbienne f (1, 2)
• Hungarian: leszbikus (hu)
• Icelandic: lesbískt (is) n, lesbísk (is) f, lesbískur (is) m
• Interlingua: lesbian
• Polish: lesbijski (pl) m, lesbijska f
• Romanian: lesbian (ro)
• Slovene: lezbični (sl) m, lezbična f, lezbično n
• Swedish: lesbisk (sv) (1, 2), flat- (sv) (2)

Noun

lesbian (plural lesbians)

1. A homosexual female, a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women.

Synonyms

• dyke (usually offensive, but reclaimed by some lesbians)
• sapphist
• See also Wikisaurus:female homosexual

Hypernyms

• gay
• homosexual
• queer

Derived terms

• hasbian
• wasbian

See also

• heterosexual (hetero), bisexual

Translations

female homosexual

• Afrikaans: lesbiër (af), lesbiërs (af)
• Arabic: سحاقية (ar) (suHaaqíyya) f, ليزبيان (ar) (lezbiyaan) f

  Egyptian Arabic: ليزبيان (lézbiyan) f

• Armenian: լեսբուհի (hy) (lesbuhi)
• Bengali: লেসবিয়ান (bn) (lesbian)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 豆腐婆 (dau6 fu6 po4), (colloquial) 魔豆腐 (mo4 dau6 fu6)

  Mandarin: (formal) 女同性戀者 (cmn), 女同性恋者 (cmn) (nǚtóngxìngliànzhě), (slang) 女同 (cmn) (nǚtóng), (slang) 拉拉 (cmn) (lālā)

• Czech: lesbička (cs) f
• Danish: lesbisk (da) c
• Dutch: lesbienne (nl) f
• Esperanto: samseksemulino (eo)
• Estonian: lesbi (et)
• Finnish: lesbo (fi)
• French: lesbienne (fr) f, gouine (fr) f
• German: Lesbe (de) f, (obsolete) Lesbierin (de) f
• Greek: λεσβία (el) (lesvía) f
• Hindi: लेस्बियन (hi) (lesbiyan) f
• Hungarian: leszbia, leszbikus, leszboszi
• Icelandic: lesbía (is) f
• Interlingua: lesbiana
• Italian: lesbica (it) f

• Japanese: レズ (ja) (rezu), レズビアン (ja) (rezubian), 同性愛の女性 (ja) (どうせいあいのじょせい, dōsei'ai-no josei)
• Jèrriais: lesbienne f
• Korean: 레즈비언 (ko) (lejeubieon)
• Lao: ຜູ້ຍິງຮັກຜູ້ຍິງ (lo) (phuu-ñing-hak-phuu-ñing)
• Latin: tribas (la) f
• Luxembourgish: Lesb (lb) f
• Macedonian: лезбејка (mk) (lézbejka) f
• Norwegian: lesbe (no) m and f
• Persian: لزبین (fa)
• Polish: lesbijka f (1,2), lesbijczyk m (2)
• Portuguese: lésbica (pt) f
• Romanian: lesbiană (ro) f
• Russian: лесбиянка (ru) (lesbijánka) f
• Scottish Gaelic: leasbach (gd) f
• Serbo-Croatian: lezbijka (sh) f
• Slovene: lezbijka (sl) f
• Spanish: lesbiana (es) f
• Swedish: flata (sv) c, lesbisk (sv)
• Tagalog: tomboy (tl), tibo (tl), lesbiyana (tl)
• Thai: หญิงรักร่วมเพศ (th) (yĭng rák-rûam-pâyt), เลสเบี้ยน (th)
• Turkish: lezbiyen (tr)
• Urdu: لسبین (ur) (lesbiyan) f

Anagrams

• ansible
• bilanes

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Romanian

Etymology

French lesbien

Adjective

lesbian ^{4 nom/acc forms}

1. 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