Definition

1. Adjective:

   • Relating to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England (1558-1603): Pertaining to the historical period, culture, style, or characteristics associated with the time when Elizabeth I was queen.
   • Relating to Queen Elizabeth I herself: Concerning the person or rule of the monarch.

2. Noun:

   • A person who lived during the reign of Elizabeth I: An individual, especially a writer, artist, or notable figure, from the Elizabethan era.

Examples of Usage

• Adjective:

  • The theatre featured a performance of an Elizabethan drama.
  • Architecture from the Elizabethan period is often very ornate.
  • She is an expert in Elizabethan history and politics.

• Noun:

  • Christopher Marlowe was a famous Elizabethan.
  • The portrait gallery displayed images of several notable Elizabethans.

Advanced Usage

• "Elizabethan England": The country of England during the rule of Elizabeth I.
  • The Spanish Armada was defeated in Elizabethan England.
• "Elizabethan sonnet" / "Elizabethan theatre": Specific cultural products from the era.
  • Shakespeare perfected the Elizabethan sonnet.
• Used to describe a revival or imitation of the styles from that period.
  • The 19th-century building was designed in an Elizabethan style.

Variants and Related Words

• Elizabethanism (n): A characteristic, style, or idiom from the Elizabethan period.
• Elizabeth (n): The root proper noun referring to the queen.
• Jacobean (adj/n): Pertaining to or a person from the reign of King James I (1603-1625), the period immediately following the Elizabethan era.

Synonyms

• Adjective: Of the age of Elizabeth I.
• Noun: Person of the Elizabethan age.

Related Phrases

• Elizabethan collar: A broad, stiff collar, often lace-trimmed, typical of the fashion in portraits from the era. (Note: This is also the name for a protective medical cone for pets, due to its visual resemblance).
  • The nobleman in the painting wears an elaborate Elizabethan collar.
• Elizabethan settlement: Refers to the religious settlement that established the Church of England during Elizabeth's reign.
  • The Elizabethan Settlement aimed to create a middle way between Catholicism and Protestantism.

Adjective

1. of or relating to Elizabeth I of England or to the age in which she ruled as queen
   • Elizabethan music

Noun

1. a person who lived during the reign of Elizabeth I
   • William Shakespeare was an Elizabethan