sea change
Definition of sea change
1 archaic : a change brought about by the sea
2 : a marked change : transformation a sea change in public policy
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Did You Know?
In Shakespeare's The Tempest, a sea-change is a change brought about by sea: Full fathom five thy father lies ... / Nothing of him that doth fade / But doth suffer a sea-change. This meaning is the original one, but it's now archaic. Long after sea change had gained its figurative meaning, however, writers continued to allude to Shakespeare's literal one; Charles Dickens, Henry David Thoreau, and P.G. Wodehouse all used the term as an object of the verb suffer.
1612
First Known Use of sea change
1612
SEA CHANGE Defined for English Language Learners
sea change
Definition of sea change for English Language Learners
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: a big and sudden change
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