Sapphism
/ˈsæfɪzəm/noun
Sexual or romantic attraction between women, especially women’s same-sex relationships.
Did you know?The term honors Sappho of Lesbos, whose surviving poems express passionate love between women, though the modern label “Sapphism” was coined many centuries after her death.
Etymological Timeline
Archaic Greece, c. 600 BCE
Ancient Greek
Sapphō (Σαπφώ)
“The personal name of Sappho, the lyric poet from Lesbos”
Classical and Hellenistic Greek
Greek
Sapphō
“A name associated with Sappho’s poetry and her literary style”
Classical Latin
Latin
Sappho
“The Latin form of the poet’s name”
17th–18th Century
European languages
Sapphic
“Relating to Sappho, her verse, or poetic forms associated with her”
19th Century
English and French
Sapphism / sapphisme
“A term formed from Sappho’s name for sexual relations or romantic attachment between women”
Modern English
English
Sapphism
“A historical or literary term for lesbianism or women’s same-sex desire”