Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Shakespearean” come from?

Shakespearean derives from Shakespeare plus the English suffix -ana (from Italian -ana, from Spanish -ana, from Latin -anus, ultimately from Proto-Italic -os), forming an adjective meaning "of or relating to Shakespeare."

Shakespearean (English): Of or pertaining to, characteristic of,...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to, characteristic of,...

Ancestry of “Shakespearean”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishShakespeareEloquent language, especially English; poetry; A...
2EnglishSpear—
3Middle EnglishspereA spear or lance; The Lance of Longinus; A barb...
4Old Frenchspheresphere
5Latinsphēra—
6Ancient Greekσφαῖραball, globe, sphere
7Ancient Greek-ειδήςlike, connected to, from the nature of, full of;...
8Ancient Greek-ήςadjective suffix
9Proto-Indo-European-ēsPrimarily forms adjectival bahuvrīhi compounds
10Proto-Indo-European-ess—
11Proto-Indo-European-osCreates action nouns or result nouns from verbs;...

Words derived from “Shakespearean”

  • unShakespearean
  • Shakespearianism
  • Shakespeareanism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European -os →