¹sapphic

adjective sap·phic \ˈsa-fik\

: of or relating to sexual relations between women

Full Definition of SAPPHIC

capitalized : of or relating to the Greek lyric poet Sappho

: of, relating to, or consisting of a 4-line strophe made up of chiefly trochaic and dactylic feet

: lesbian 2

See sapphic defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of SAPPHIC

1501

Rhymes with SAPPHIC

graphic, maffick, traffic

²sapphic

noun

Definition of SAPPHIC

: a verse having the metrical pattern of one of the first three lines of a sapphic strophe

: a sapphic strophe

First Known Use of SAPPHIC

1586

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

Rhymes with SAPPHIC

graphic, traffic

Medical Dictionary

sapphic

adjective or noun sap·phic \ˈsaf-ik\

Medical Definition of SAPPHIC

: lesbian

Biographical Note for SAPPHIC

Sap·pho \ˈsaf-(ˌ)ō\ (flourished circa 610 BC–circa 580 BC), Greek lyric poet. Sappho was the leading spirit of a coterie of female poets on the Aegean isle of Lesbos. Because of the homosexual themes in her poetry, she herself has traditionally been regarded as homosexual.