The Greek Island of Lesbos and the Origin of the Word ‘Lesbian’

Greek Reporter

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Mixed Factuality

The Greek Island of Lesbos and the Origin of the Word ‘Lesbian’

Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene by Simeon Solomon,1864 Credit: Simeon Solomon / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons Modern English, and indeed many languages, borrow a plethora of words from ancient Greek. One particularly interesting word is “lesbian”, today used to describe a homosexual woman who is attracted to other women, but the root of the word is tied to the Greek island of Lesbos. “Lesbian” is a demonym for the inhabitants of Le…