Sapphic

American  

[saf-ik] / ˈsæf ɪk /

adjective

1. Sometimes sapphic

   1. lesbian.

   2. of, relating to, or being a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women, used especially as an umbrella term for all women who are attracted to women.

2. pertaining to Sappho or to certain meters or a form of strophe or stanza used by or named after her.

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noun

1. Greek Literature. a verse using certain meters or forms used by or named after Sappho.

2. Slang. Sometimes sapphic a woman who is sexually or romantically attracted to other women.

Sapphic British  

/ ˈsæfɪk /

adjective

1. prosody denoting a metre associated with Sappho, consisting generally of a trochaic pentameter line with a dactyl in the third foot

2. of or relating to Sappho or her poetry

3. lesbian

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noun

1. prosody a verse, line, or stanza written in the Sapphic form

Usage

What's the difference between Sapphic and lesbian? See gay ( def. ).

Etymology

Origin of Sapphic

First recorded in 1495–1505; from Latin sapphicus, from Greek sapphikós, equivalent to Sapph(ṓ) the name of a famous Greek poet ( Sappho ( def. ) ) + -ikos adjective suffix; -ic

Example Sentences

Romance: In “An Island Princess Starts a Scandal” by Adriana Herrera, a Venezuelan heiress has a few weeks to live her best Sapphic life before she must marry a dull man.

From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2023

"I did not have Madonna comes out on TikTok by throwing underwear at a basketball hoop on my Sapphic Mad Libs Bingo card today, but I don't mind being surprised," says Autostraddle writer Heather Hogan.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2022

Malinda Lo is a Chinese American lesbian immigrant who primarily writes Sapphic YA fantasy and historical fiction.

From Washington Post • Sep. 1, 2022

The next show, at Kremwerk on Aug. 26, features five Sapphic contestants, most of whom are people of color.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2022

‘With the principal lyric metres, the Sapphic and Alcaic, Horace had done what Vergil had accomplished with the dactylic hexameter, carried them to the highest point of which the foreign Latin tongue was capable.’

From Helps to Latin Translation at Sight by Luce, Edmund