sapphic
sapphic Lexical Profile
sapphic Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Relating to romantic or sexual attraction, love, or relationships between women.
"The bookstore curated a prominent display of contemporary sapphic romance novels."
Relating to the ancient Greek poet Sappho, her lyric poetry, or the characteristic four-line poetic meter named after her.
"The classical scholar analyzed the rhythmic structure of the Sapphic stanzas in Horace's odes."
• noun
A woman who is romantically or sexually attracted to other women, including lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual women.
"The community center hosts a monthly book club for local sapphics."
A verse line or four-line stanza composed in the quantitative meter associated with the ancient Greek poet Sappho.
"In the..."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern usage, 'sapphic' serves as an inclusive umbrella term for women who are romantically or sexually attracted to other women (including lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual women), whereas 'Sapphic' (capitalized) typically refers specifically to the ancient Greek poet Sappho or her poetic meter.
• Rhymes for sapphic
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French 'saphique' and Latin 'Sapphicus', from Ancient Greek 'Σαπφικός' (Sapphikós, 'of or relating to Sappho'), derived from the name of Sappho, the renowned 6th-century BCE lyric poet from the island of Lesbos whose poetry celebrated love and passion among women.