Sapphic / WLW

An umbrella term for women (and feminine-aligned people) attracted to other women, regardless of whether they also experience attraction to other genders. Encompasses lesbians, bisexual women, pansexual women, queer women, and feminine-aligned non-binary people. WLW (Women Loving Women) is used similarly.

From Sappho (c. 630-570 BCE), the Greek poet of Lesbos whose work described erotic love between women.

"Sapphic" in the sense of female same-sex love has been in academic and literary use since the 19th century. Its adoption as a community identity label accelerated on social media in the 2010s alongside "achillean" - functioning as a more inclusive umbrella where "lesbian" might be too narrow, including bisexual, pansexual, and non-binary people without requiring a specific label.