"Lesbian" What is the origin of this word?

Question

I know what a lisbian is but where does the word come from?

Answer 1

It comes from the greek island, Lesbos.

The earliest known written references to same-sex love between women come from ancient Greece. Sappho (the eponym of "sapphism"), who lived on the island of Lesbos, wrote poems which apparently expressed her sexual attraction to other women.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbian


Lesbos (Greek: Lesvos (Λέσβος), Ottoman Turkish: مدللى Midilli) is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. Its inhabitants are called Lesbians. Lesbos is part of the Lesbos Prefecture, the third largest Greek island and the seventh largest in the Mediterranean Sea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbos_Island

Sappho
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sappho

Answer 2

Wikipedia and most others here are right, the word lesbian comes from the greek island Lesbos (Lesvos in greek) where before classic antiquity lyric poetry was at its peak. Some of the greatest poets lived there like Alkaios and Sappho (their poetry is sooo beautiful and it sounds more like modern poetry than any other eras poetry i have read). Anyway Sappho was known to be fond of female company as well as male - she describes in her poets desire both for girls and boys. She was not the only one - it seems that there were some free minded, very well educated ladies in the lesbian aristocracy mainly, who didn't mind bisexuality, especially since the men were all the time away on war or business. So that' s were the name comes from - a lesbian is a woman from Lesbos. In greek we call the island also Mytilene, wich is the name of its biggest city. So, in every day conversations, if we want to say that a woman is from lesvos we almost never use the word lesbian anymore - we prefer to say Mytilenian. To avoid misunderstandings:-)

Answer 3

Lesbian is a neutral term(end) or positive derived from the former Greek poet Safo of the Greek island of Lesbos (the current Mitilene, in the sea The Aegean Sea), whose(which) poems were describing his(her,your) love carried away towards his(her,your) companions and to the life surrounded with other women, which cost(was worth) the reputation him(her) of homosexual. Safo is the excellent icon of what today is given in lesbian calls culture.

Answer 4

It is from the Greek island of Lesbos. The Greek poetess Sappho was born there and she "preferred the company of women". So, any other woman, also with that preference, was know as a Lesbian (someone from Lesbos).

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sappho

Answer 5

from the Greek island of Lesbos

Answer 6

Greek Island named lisbos ( or something like that ) . this island used to be a famous place of a lesbian woman .
That how some explain . But it's not me .