Lesbian meaning of the word in english

Words for female homosexual[ity] were under-recorded in the original OED. The sexual sense of lesbian (both adjective and noun) was left out of OED1, and – most unusually – we have clear evidence of the deliberate decision to continue to exclude it from the Dictionary during the editing of the first Supplement in 1933 (see Brewer 2007b: 49-50). This is striking, given that the 1933 Supplement did include, for the first time, the term homosexual (adj.), defined as ‘Pertaining to or characterized by sexual propensity for one’s own sex’. Male homosexual activity was then (and up to 1967) a criminal offence in England and Wales; female homosexuality was never classed as a sexual offence. Along with lesbianism, lesbian (adjective and noun) was finally added to OED in R. W. Burchfield’s second Supplement in 1976 (vol 2), with quotations dating from 1890 (1870 for lesbianism); in fact it was used in print as early as 1732; see • bull-dike(quotations from 1926) • butch (first clear example is dated 1965; the entry bunches several senses together) • dike (quotations from 1942) and dikey (from 1964) • femme (quotation of 1966) • Les (quotations from 1942) • lesbo (quotations from 1940 • Lizzie (quotations from 1942) All these terms have been included in theHTOED, since as we have seen ( lesbian, e.g. carpet muncher (1992), girl-on-girl(1995), lady-love(2003), lipstick lesbian( ism) (1984), mantee (1937), Marge(1957), Margery (1936), mom(1957), muff-diver(1930), rubster (1657), rug m...

Wiktionary Rate this definition: 3.7 / 3 votes • lesbian noun A homosexual female, a female who is sexually or romantically attracted to other females. • lesbian adjective Homosexual; preferring female romantic or sexual partners. She is lesbian. • lesbian adjective Homosexual, specifically between two women. • lesbian adjective Intended for lesbians. We're going to a lesbian bar tonight. • Lesbian noun An inhabitant of Lesbos • Lesbian noun A homosexual woman. • Lesbian adjective Of or pertaining to the island of Lesbos. She is lesbian. • Lesbian adjective (used of women) Homosexual. • Etymology: From Lesbius + adjective suffix -an, from Latin adjective suffix -anus, -ana. The sense of ‘homosexual’ is a reference to Sappho, a famous Lesbian and lesbian poet. Wikipedia Rate this definition: 0.0 / 0 votes • Lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexuality or same-sex attraction. The concept of "lesbian" to differentiate women with a shared sexual orientation evolved in the 20th century. Throughout history, women have not had the same freedom or independence as men to pursue homosexual relationships, but neither have they met the same harsh punishment as homosexual men in some societies. Instead, lesbian relationships have often been regarded as harmless, unless a participant...