Victorian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Associated with the era of Queen Victoria's rule, marked by unique cultural and artistic expressions
2. Descriptive of the notable customs and artistic achievements from the time when Queen Victoria presided over Britain
3. Relating to the period during Queen Victoria's reign, characterized by distinct social norms and artistic styles

Etymology: Queen Victoria reigned from 1837 to 1901, and the adjective took its shape from her name: "Victoria" plus the suffix "-an", which forms adjectives meaning "of or relating to" a person or place. The word first described people and things of her era, its customs, architecture and art, and it has since been applied well beyond Britain. The same name clings to places that honoured the queen. The Australian state of Victoria was named after her when it was established in 1851, and the city of Victoria in British Columbia grew from a settlement called Fort Victoria, founded in 1843. Because the adjective is built on these place names, "Victorian" can also mean something from those regions, so a reader meeting it in Melbourne or Vancouver may think of a local rather than a monarch. The word has also been used for people who were not British at all. Dick-a-Dick, an Aboriginal tracker and cricketer from the Wimmera region of western Victoria, was a member of the first Australian cricket team to tour England, in 1868.

Synonyms: Victorian-era, 19th-century, Edwardian