Definition
Spanish/Portuguese term for a lesbian woman; a woman who is romantically and sexually attracted to other women.
Etymology
From Spanish/Portuguese adaptation of 'lesbian,' ultimately from Greek 'Lesbios' referring to the island of Lesbos, home of the poet Sappho (c. 630-570 BCE). The connection to female homosexuality developed through Sappho's poetry celebrating love between women.
Kelly Says
The journey from a Greek island's name to a modern identity term spans over 2,500 years, making it one of the oldest geographic-to-social transformations in language. Sappho's influence was so profound that her birthplace became synonymous with an entire aspect of human experience.
Translations
ARالعربية
مثليّة
mithliyyah
BNবাংলা
লেসবিয়ান
les-bee-an
CACatalà
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
CSČeština
lesbika
les-bee-ka
DEDeutsch
Lesbienne
les-bee-en
ELΕλληνικά
Λησβία
les-bee-a
ESEspañol
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
FAفارسی
همجنس*
hom-jen-es
FISuomi
lesbian
les-bee-an
FRFrançais
lesbienne
leb-see-en
HAHA
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
HIहिन्दी
लैसबियन
les-bee-an
HUMagyar
leszbikus
les-bee-kus
IDBahasa Indonesia
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
IGIG
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
ITItaliano
lesbiana
le-sbee-ah-na
KMKM
ស្ត្រី-ស្ត្រី
s-tray-s-tray
MSBahasa Melayu
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
MYမြန်မာ
အမျိုးသမီး-အမျိုးသမီး
a-myo-tha-mee-a-myo-tha-mee
NLNederlands
lesbienne
leb-see-en
PLPolski
lesbijanka
les-bee-jan-ka
PTPortuguês
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
RORomână
lesbiană
les-bee-an-a
RUРусский
лесбиянка
les-bee-yanka
SVSvenska
lesbisk
les-bisk
SWKiswahili
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
TAதமிழ்
பெண்கள்-பெண்கள்
pe-ng-gal-pe-ng-gal
TEతెలుగు
స్త్రీలకు స్త్రీల
s-tri-la-ku-s-tri-la
THไทย
หญิงรักหญิง
ying rak ying
TLTL
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
TRTürkçe
lezbiyen
lez-bee-yen
UKУкраїнська
лесбійка
les-bee-yka
URاردو
لِسْبِیَان
li-sbee-yan
VITiếng Việt
người đồng tính nữ
nguoi dong tinh nu
YOYO
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
ZH中文
女同性恋者
nǚ tóng xìng liàn zhě
ZUZU
lesbiana
les-bee-ah-na
Ethical Language Guidance
Gender History
From Spanish/Italian 'lesbiana,' deriving from Lesbos (ancient Greek island). Historically medicalized as pathology in 20th-century sexology; reclaimed as identity term by LGBTQ+ communities.
Inclusive Usage
Use respectfully as identity term. Only apply when self-identified; avoid as descriptor of behavior by others.
Inclusive Alternatives
["lesbian","queer woman","woman-loving woman"]
Empowerment Note
Lesbian communities have reclaimed and centered this term as affirming identity, rejecting medical stigma that once framed it as disorder.