Jacobean

[jak-uh-bee-uhn]

adjective

1. of or relating to James I of England or to his period.

2. noting or pertaining to the style of architecture and furnishings prevailing in England in the first half of the 17th century, continuing the Elizabethan style with a gradual introduction of Italian models in architecture and increased elaboration of forms and motifs in furnishings.

3. of or relating to the style of literature and drama produced during the early 17th century.

noun

1. a writer, statesman, or other personage of the Jacobean period.

Jacobean

/ ˌdʒækəˈbɪən /

adjective

1. history characteristic of or relating to James I of England or to the period of his rule (1603–25)

2. of or relating to the style of furniture current at this time, characterized by the use of dark brown carved oak

3. denoting, relating to, or having the style of architecture used in England during this period, characterized by a combination of late Gothic and Palladian motifs

noun

1. any writer or other person who lived in the reign of James I

Other Word Forms

• anti-Jacobean adjective
• pro-Jacobean adjective
• quasi-Jacobean adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jacobean¹

First recorded in 1750–60; from New Latin Jacobae(us) “of Jacobus ” (Latinized form of James ) + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of Jacobean¹

C18: from New Latin jacōbaeus , from Jacōbus James

Example Sentences

The George Hotel had been an old Jacobean coaching inn where Shakespeare's plays would have been performed, and it had been an "astonishingly authentic venue" to put on the plays.

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He got into the Old Vic, where he was trained in Jacobean Shakespeare.

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A Jacobean mansion and a concert venue in a Baroque church are among 26 sites across London to be added to Historic England's at-risk register.

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On Starz, “Mary & George” underscores how alluring clothing can help woo a Jacobean king, and Paramount+ With Showtime keeps up the sartorial flourishes with the 30-plus-year-spanning “A Gentleman in Moscow,” which opens in 1920s Russia.

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He also cites use of the Ouija board during the American Civil War and people's interest in demons and witches during the troubled Jacobean era.

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