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Glite Dictionary
Elizabethan age

Elizabethan age

6.8
A period of English history during Queen Elizabeth I's rule when literature and drama flourished
  • noun
  • /ɪˌlɪzəˈbiːθən eɪdʒ/
translation icon : época elizabethana
  • Many famous playwrights emerged during the Elizabethan age.

Examples

  • The Elizabethan age is often characterized by a great flowering of English literature and drama.

  • Shakespeare wrote many of his plays during the Elizabethan age.

  • Many historians consider the Elizabethan age a golden period in British history.

  • The Elizabethan age was a time of great cultural achievement.

  • The Elizabethan age is famous for its influential playwrights like William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.

  • Many historians regard the Elizabethan age as a time of significant cultural and artistic achievement in England.

  • During the Elizabethan age, advancements in literature and theater led to the production of many classic works.

Synonyms

Elizabethan era
vsElizabethan age
1 6.8

A period in English history under Queen Elizabeth I when writing and plays become very famous

is the same period but uses an alternate common noun form

Surface Forms

Elizabethan age singular
Elizabethan ages plural

Morphology

Elizabethan + age

The phrase is a straightforward composition of the proper adjective 'Elizabethan' (relating to Queen Elizabeth I) and 'age' (a historical period), so a learner who knows both constituents can readily infer it denotes the period of Elizabeth I. This follows a common proper-adjective + age pattern found cross-linguistically, making the meaning directly derivable rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

The term Elizabethan age comes from Queen Elizabeth I: Elizabethan means 'of Elizabeth' and age means 'a time period'. Because her long rule saw a big growth in books, plays and the arts, the phrase now refers to that special time in English history.