overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

lesbian.

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

7 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

adj/ˈlɛz.bi.ən/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners.

    Lesbian fans of the show were rooting for Jane and Amanda to get together.
  2. Homosexual, gay; preferring exclusively women as romantic or sexual partners. Preferring primarily women as romantic or sexual partners.

    broadly
  3. Between two or more women; homosexual, gay.

    a lesbian relationship / marriage / kiss
  4. Intended for lesbians.

    especially
    We're going to a lesbian bar tonight.
  5. Alternative letter-case form of Lesbian (“of or pertaining to the island of Lesbos”).

    alt-of · archaic
Where this word comes from

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.

noun/ˈlɛz.bi.ən/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. A homosexual woman, a woman who is exclusively sexually or romantically attracted to other women.

  2. A female animal that performs courtship, pairing or mating behavior with other female animals.

    uncommon
  3. Alternative letter-case form of Lesbian (“native or inhabitant of Lesbos.”).

    alt-of · archaic
Where this word comes from

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.

verb/ˈlɛz.bi.ən/General-American, Received-Pronunciation
  1. To (cause to) take part in lesbian sex, or other lesbian activity.

    ambitransitive · informal · nonstandard
Where this word comes from

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.

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

lesbian has 7 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

lesbian studiolesbian workshello, lesbian

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.