Sea change, a phrase meaning ‘to transform’, has rather fallen out of use in the modern era but has been recorded since around 1660. Indeed, it appears in my friend Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
Sea legs refers to the ability of someone to walk confidently on the deck of a ship regardless of the rolling and pitching of the vessel and has been known since 1712.
All at sea is a way to convey a meaning of ‘perplexed’, and has been recorded since 1768. Prior to that, and since the late 12th century, it had the very different meaning of ‘out of sight of land’. The two must be connected in conveying ‘lost’.
North Sea which, as popularized by Billy Connolly, is famously always cold, hasn’t always been known as the North Sea. To the English it was the German Sea for most of recorded history and until at least 1836; the North Sea at that time referred to that part of the ocean now known as the Bristol Channel. The Dutch referred to it as the North Sea to distinguish from the Southern Sea (or Zuider Sea). As if to complete this baffling nomenclature, the Danes decided they would know it as the West Sea.
Sealions have been known as such since the 1690s, although applied to any species of eared seals. Hitler codenamed his planned invasion of Britain ‘Operation Sealion’ in July 1940, but had abandoned these plans by October of that year. But sealions were also a species of lobster, and recorded as such since the end of the 16th century.
Dead Sea is known as such for its high salt content. It is not exactly devoid of life, but nothing of any size is found there. The Bible calls it the Salt Sea, and is also known as the ‘Sea of the Plain’, and the ‘East Sea’, and the Asphalite Sea. Confused? So you should be, for this Dead Sea – with 26% salt content as opposed to the 3% to 4% of the ocean, is not a sea but a lake.
Red Sea is thought to be named for the algae of that colour which blooms in its waters; or a tribal name; or the sandstone found around its shores; or perhaps ‘red’ to represent ‘south’ as ‘black’ represents ‘north’. (No, neither do I.)
Sea breezes blow from the sea onshore, at least they have since the 1690s.
Sea mew is an old name for the gull, known as such for its call and recorded from the 15th century.
Sea monsters are prolific in mythologies around the globe, but nobody called them such before 1580. Sea serpents debuted in 1640; while alternative names of sea wolf and sea dragon are also found.
Man has produced salt by evaporating sea water for millennia, but the term ‘sea salt’ is unrecorded before the end of the 16th century.
Sea anemones were named as such from 1742; but eight years later the same creature was also referred to as a sea pudding.
Sea captain is first found in 1610.
Sea power, a reference to a dominant naval power, is found from 1849.
Sea dogs referred to the harbor seal from the 1590s; it referred to ‘pirates’ from 1650; and to any sailor from 1823.
Sea horses were first named in the 1580s, but the term had been used for more than two centuries to refer to the walrus.
The sea floor has only been known as such since 1832, prior to that it was the sea bottom.
Sea urchins were named in the 1590s, described as a kind of crabfish that has prickles instead of feet. In the 19th century the same creatures were called ‘whore’s eggs’ in Newfoundland.
Sea level is first seen in 1806 and then described the mean level between high and low tides.
Nothing was described as ‘sea going’ until 1829.
Sea shore is a term found since 1520.
Seaside was coined much earlier, certainly in use by 1200.
Nothing was said to be overseas until 1580.
Seafaring has been used since around 1200.
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