Where did the word lesbian come from? History and correct usage today

Lesba… lesbička… or perhaps lesbičanka? Where did we actually get these words, and how should we use them today?

The word "lesba" originated from the name of the Greek island of Lesbos, the birthplace of the poetess Sappho, who lived in the 7th century BC. This artist became famous for her poetry, in which she professed love for other women. If you are interested in literature, you probably know a genre such as Sapphic poetry – it is named after her.

On the other hand, this term for feminine individuals sexually oriented towards other feminine individuals only began to be used much later, in the nineteenth century in some countries of Western Europe. At that time, the medical community began to seriously address the causes and influence of homosexuality, unfortunately in a negative sense: the goal was to erase homosexuality, and indeed bisexuality and pansexuality, from the face of the earth. Nevertheless, despite this dark history, the term caught on, and in many languages, this word or its equivalent is still used today, even among the women themselves whom the word "lesba" describes.

You might wonder about the words "lesbička" or "lesbičanka". Although the Institute of Czech Language of the Czech Academy of Sciences believes that the term "lesbička" is not derogatory, and is just as acceptable as "lesba", many homosexual women reject this word, stating that they do not want to be referred to by a diminutive, and some are even against the word "lesba" – finding it harsh and unharmonious.

And "lesbičanka"? Our first thought might be that it's the feminine equivalent of the word "Lesbičan", meaning an inhabitant of the island of Lesbos, just written with a lowercase L. Nowadays, we encounter this word exceptionally rarely, so it remains a memory, like the drawing by Jan Zrzavý: Lesbičanky.

So how should we refer to feminine individuals who are sexually oriented towards other feminine individuals? The best and simplest strategy is to simply ask the person what they prefer – and act accordingly.

PS: recently, the word gay has also started to be used, but it still holds true that asking is the alpha and omega of human communication.