the four seas
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The seas surrounding Great Britain, on the north, south, east, and west.
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 “the four seas” mean?
The seas surrounding Great Britain, on the north, south, east, and west.
Is “the four seas” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.