The plaintiffs asked the court to ban a Greek gay rights organization from including the word "lesbian" in its name, EuroNews.net reported.

A major holiday destination for gay women, Lesbos in ancient times was home to Sappho, an advocate of love between women.

"If something has been used for many centuries ... does that automatically make it right? It is still wrong, regardless," one of the plaintiffs told the court.

A spokeswoman for the group accused the plaintiffs of being homophobic, EuroNews.net said.

"We believe this term can be used both for someone from Lesbos and as a sexual connotation," she said. "There is nothing wrong about either. To us, their (the plaintiffs) behavior amounts to an infringement of human rights."

The court is expected to rule within six months.