'Elizabethan' originates from Modern English, specifically the name 'Elizabeth' combined with the adjectival suffix '-an' (from Latin '-ānus'), where the suffix indicated 'belonging to' or 'relating to'.

'Elizabethan' developed from the proper name 'Elizabeth' (itself from Hebrew 'Elisheba' via Greek/Latin 'Elisabetha') plus the suffix '-an' (from Latin '-ānus' through Old French/Middle English), eventually forming the modern English adjective/noun 'Elizabethan'.

Initially it meant 'of or relating to Elizabeth (the person)', but over time it came to mean specifically 'of or relating to the reign, culture, and style of Queen Elizabeth I' and also 'a person living in that period'.