/i liz'euh bee"theuhn, -beth"euhn/ , adj.
1. of or pertaining to the reign of Elizabeth I, queen of England, or to her times: Elizabethan diplomacy; Elizabethan music.
2. noting or pertaining to an English Renaissance style of architecture of the reign of Elizabeth I characterized by fantastic sculptured or molded ornament of German or Flemish origin, symmetrical layouts, and an emphasis on domestic architecture. Cf. Jacobean (def. 2).
n.
3. an English person who lived during the Elizabethan period, esp. a poet or dramatist.
[ 1810-20; ELIZABETH + -AN ]