Spenserian

[ spen-seer-ee-uh n ]

/ spɛnˈsɪər i ən /

adjective

of or characteristic of Spenser or his work.

noun

an imitator of Spenser.

Spenserian stanza.

verse in Spenserian stanzas.

Origin of Spenserian

First recorded in 1810–20; Spenser + -ian

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for spenserian

Mr. Lowell occasionally makes use of somewhat quaint, Spenserian expressions, but generally with peculiar effect.
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, February 1844|Various
The style was frequently detestable—a mixture of sham Spenserian and mock Wordsworthian, alternately florid and arid.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 6|Various
Another of this little group of late Spenserian pastoralists was, as we shall later see, an admirer of Beaumont.
Francis Beaumont: Dramatist|Charles Mills Gayley
The poem, in a gentle Spenserian vein, has no connection with the ‘Sonnets.’
A Life of William Shakespeare|Sidney Lee

Like the Spenserian stanza, the Epithalamium stanza has given rise to numerous imitations.
A History of English Versification|Jakob Schipper

British Dictionary definitions for spenserian

Spenserian

/ (spɛnˈsɪərɪən) /

adjective

relating to, in the style of, or characteristic of Edmund Spenser, the English poet (?1552–99), or his poetry

noun

a student or imitator of Edmund Spenser

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012