Merchant of Venice
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The interwoven stories of Shakespeare's comedy (written 1598, published 1600) are drawn from mediaeval
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Merchant of Venice” mean?
The interwoven stories of Shakespeare's comedy (written 1598, published 1600) are drawn from mediaeval
Is “Merchant of Venice” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.