Where does “lipstick lesbian” come from?

lipstick lesbian (English) comes from English lipstick, from English lip, from German lippe, from Yiddish ליפּ, from Middle High German lippe, from Old High German *lippa, from Proto-Germanic *lippjō.

lipstick lesbian (English): A lesbian who has glamorously feminine...

Definitions

  1. A lesbian who has glamorously feminine...

Ancestry of “lipstick lesbian”, step by step

lipstick lesbian traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English lipstick

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlipstickMakeup for the lips; A stick of this make-up; To...
2EnglishlipEither of the two fleshy protrusions around the...
3Germanlippelip
4Yiddishליפּlip
5Middle High Germanlippe—
6Old High German*lippa—
7Proto-Germanic*lippjō—

via English lesbian

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlesbianHomosexual, gay; preferring mostly or exclusively...
2LatinLesbiusLesbian
3Ancient GreekΛέσβιοςLesbian
4Ancient GreekΛέσβοςLesbos
5Hittite𒌷𒆷𒊍𒉺Lesbos
6Akkadian𒉺overseer; foreman; instructor
Every word from Proto-Germanic *lippjō →