Enciclopædia

Lesbian Dictionary Italian

How to say lesbian in Italian

Below are the words of our Italian Lesbian Dictionary that we will expand in new editions. If you know any more, please, contact us. But first some information about the language and this dictionary.

Italian is a language of Indo-European family formed by several dialects. It is spoken by about 62 million people and is official in 9 countries or regions.

In this lesbian dictionary placed below at your disposal, there are current expressions, but also expressions that are no longer used, but all provide information about the life lesbians have led in Italy. In this sense seem significant the expressions “Casalesbica” and “Gol-Star lesbian”. We also want to emphasize the coincidence of themes and expressions with other lesbian dictionaries as the expression “Camionista” equivalent to the words from Spanish language “Camionera” and “Trailera”; the relative lack of imagination by the small number of euphemisms, although we love “Vespa”, as well as the usual patriarchal masculinization.

Source: “Il gergo queer nell’italiano novecentesco e contemporaneo” Doctoral Thesis by Daniel de Lucia, Università “G. D’Annunzio” Chieti-Pescara (2013)

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Abominevole

abominable.
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Affetto morboso

morbid affection. Probably more used for homosexual women.
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Amor lesbico

female homosexuality.

Variations: Amor lesbio.
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Amore morboso

morbid love. Sexual relationship between two or more persons of the same sex. The word is mainly used to indicate female homosexuality.
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Anormale

abnormal. Insult against LGBT people. Understood as a breach of the rule, irregular thing, etc. In Italy, it is one of the most harmful, more violent and more difficult to eradicate expressions. It originated in the 12th century.
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Avere la vespa

The translation into the English language of the expression Avere la vespa is “to have the wasp”, and it is used to indicate that a person is homosexual.
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Baffosaffo

the translation of “Baffo” into the English language is mustache, and Saffo is the name of the famous Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. Therefore “Baffosaffo” try to deride a lesbian with body hair.
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Caghino

term used in Sardinia for very masculine lesbians. Opposite of Femme.
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Camionista

woman truck driver. Very masculine lesbian. Opposite of Femme.
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Casalesbica

married woman (to a man), a housewife who meet lesbians.
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Cazzuta

brave and fearless lesbian.
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Contraria

Contrary. Karl Westphal, a German researcher who studied 200 cases of homosexuality, in 1869 coined the term “konträre Sexualempfindung” which was translated into Italian as “sessualità contraria”.

Related: Invertita, Perversa.
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Cozza

lesbian with “nasty look” ¿?. We assume that nasty as the eyes of the beholder, perhaps for see her too masculine. The term Cozza is used in general for uggly women, and also means mussel.
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Culto di Saffo

Saffo cult. Rare and literary form to indicate homosexuality of women.
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Deviata in amore

diverted in love. Homosexual women.
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Donna-Uomo

woman-men. Although it was used in the medical literature of the 19th century to talk about hermaphroditism and transsexualism, it was also used for lesbians, a time when similar terms as “hommesse” to refer to the Greek poet Saffo was used.
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Femme

lipstick lesbian. From French language, indicates a lesbian with feminine attitude.
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Fricatrice

lesbian. Derives from the Latin word “ficatrix” (that rubs), referring to lesbian sex.

Variations: Fregatrice, Subigatrice.
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Ginandra

obsolete term for a lesbian. Related to the hermaphroditism.
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Ginecerasta

obsolete term for a lesbian. Word appearing in the Oxyrhynchus papyri, in a biography of Saffo, of the I centuries I – VI AD.
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Giro

LGBTI+ scene.
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Gol-star lesbian

lesbian who has never had sex with a man. Perhaps Gol-star derived from Gold Star.
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Invertita

Inverted. Karl Westphal, a German researcher who studied 200 cases of homosexuality, in 1869 coined the term “konträre Sexualempfindung” which was translated into Italian as “sessualità contraria” (contrary sexuality). As the expression “contraria” could give an idea of rebellion or alternative, some translated it as “invertita” as it was so clearly shown the abnormal and unnatural character of lesbianism.

Related: Contraria, Perversa.
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Lalla

lesbian. Probably derived from Lella.
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Legame morboso

morbid bond. Women homosexuality.
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Lella

In 1996 was created the first lesbian online community called LLI, acronym from “Lista Lesbica Italiana”. So the term Lella appeared, probably from the Gay community.

Variations: Lillina.
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Lesbica

lesbian.

Variations: Amore Lesbico, Lesbismo, Lesbiano, Lezbo.
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Masaro

male duck. Lesbian in the Venetian dialect.
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Maschia

lesbian with masculine look.
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Maschiaccio

butch. Very masculine lesbian.
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Mascula

insult to lesbian, used mainly in southern Italy. Term already used by the poet Horace (65 BC – 8 BC) to define the poet Saffo.
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Nurzia

lesbian. Used in Bologna and made official in 2002 with the publication of the Paola Cavallin’s book “Nespole, nurzie and camionare. Il lesbismo a Bologna anni ’70 e ’80”
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Perversa

Perverted. Karl Westphal, a German researcher who studied 200 cases of homosexuality, in 1869 coined the term “konträre Sexualempfindung” which was translated into Italian as “sessualità contraria” (contrary sexuality). As the expression “contraria” could give an idea of rebellion or alternative, some translated it as “invertita” as it was so clearly shown the abnormal and unnatural character of lesbianism. When these ideas come to no-scientific literature, around the year 1900, is replaced by “Perversa,” which is similar, but with a strong moral burden.

Related: Contraria, Invertita.
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Ribalda

obscene. Obsolete term for a lesbian.
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Saffista

lesbian in reference to Saffo, the Greek poet from Lesbos island. In the nineteenth century the term is rarely used in medical language to name homosexuality of women.

Variations: Saffismo.
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Sgallettata

Sgallettata is an expression used to refer to a lesbian, or gay, young and novice, a little foolish or frivolous.
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Tribade

lesbian, relative to rubbing the vulva of a woman with the vulva of another woman. Derived from Latin Tribas Tribadis , which in turn derives from the Greek tribein (rub). The term probably appeared in France during the Renaissance, with the translation of classical authors as Luciano, Marziale and Phaedrus, in which texts Tribades were condemned. Tribadism today is synonymous with physical love between two women, but satisfied in any way.
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Turpi figure del vizio

The translation into the English language of Turpi figure del vizio is “repugnant figure of vice”, and is used for both male and female homosexuality.
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Urninga

translation of the German expression “urningin” feminine form of “Urning” coined by homosexual activist Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825-1895), in reference to the goddess Aphrodite Urania that appears in Plato’s Symposium as protective of homosexual love, which was translated into Italian language as Urninga or “Urningo-femmina” to talk about lesbians.
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Vespa

wasp, slang for lesbian.
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Walkiria

combative lesbian.