sapphic
adjective
- lesbian; of or relating to lesbianism
adjective
- of or relating to the Greek lyric poet Sappho
- of, relating to, or being a verse characteristic of Sappho, containing 11 syllables and consisting of a trochee, a spondee or trochee, a dactyl, a trochee, and a spondee or trochee
- relating to or being a stanza of three such verses followed by a verse consisting of a dactyl followed by a spondee or trochee
- relating to or being an ode made up of such stanzas
- of, relating to, or being a verse, stanza, or poem in accentual-syllabic meter composed in imitation of Sapphic quantitative verse
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈsæf.ɪk/
adj
Etymology: Sappho (Ancient Greek Σαπφώ (Sapphṓ)) + -ic, whence Latin Sapphicus. Sense related to sexuality alludes to Sappho's poetry discussing love between women (see also lesbian).
- Relating to the Greek poetess Sappho from Lesbos or her poetry.
- Of a certain kind of verse reputed to have been invented by Sappho, consisting of five metrical feet, of which the first, fourth, and fifth are trochees, the second is a spondee, and the third a dactyl.
- Alternative letter-case form of sapphic.
noun
Etymology: Sappho (Ancient Greek Σαπφώ (Sapphṓ)) + -ic, whence Latin Sapphicus. Sense related to sexuality alludes to Sappho's poetry discussing love between women (see also lesbian).
- A Sapphic verse.
“His Sapphics, on the story of Bacchus and Ariadne, are easy, elegant, and poetical.”
“The first line (which goes by the name of Aristophanes) is a Sapphic without the initial trochees.”
- A person who is sapphic.
“'Very good,” he said, 'although I must confess that the older I get, the less I am able to enjoy the company of women – except of course our own dear Enid who is so notorious a Sapphic as to be virtually hors concours.”
“There are many of us (yes, even in Utah) who are more style-conscious, socially involved and culturally aware Sapphics than the common opinion dictates.”