Chaucerian

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, his literary works, or the period in which he wrote ; composed in a manner resembling Chaucer's characteristic style and language
2. Concerning the poet Chaucer or his Canterbury Tales and other writings ; styled after the narrative techniques and verse forms found in Chaucer's poetry
3. Related to Chaucer, his historical context, or his surviving texts ; employing the linguistic features, storytelling methods, or poetic forms that typify Chaucer's writing

Etymology: Geoffrey Chaucer, the fourteenth-century English poet and author of "The Canterbury Tales", gave his name to this word through a simple piece of English word-building: his surname with the suffix "-ian" attached. The suffix comes into English through Latin "-ianus" and Old French, and it marks a person, a thing, or a quality associated with someone or something, so "Chaucerian" describes whatever belongs to Chaucer or resembles his work. The same pattern gives English many words from names, such as "Shakespearean" and "Dickensian", so the formation is ordinary rather than a coinage with a dramatic story. The word works both as an adjective, describing style, language or manner, and as a noun for a devotee or scholar of Chaucer's writing.

Synonyms: medieval