Sea-change or seachange is a poetic or informal term meaning a gradual transformation in which the form is retained but the substance is replaced, in this case with a marvellous petrification. It was originally a song of comfort to the bereaved Ferdinand over his father's death by drowning. The expression is Shakespeare's, taken from the song in The Tempest

The Tempest

The Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...

, when Ariel sings,

"Full fathom five

Full Fathom Five

"Full fathom five" are the opening words of a famous song sung by the spirit Ariel in William Shakespeare's The Tempest , and the source of the phrase...

 thy father lies,

Of his bones are coral made,

Those are pearls that were his eyes,

Nothing of him that doth fade,

But doth suffer a sea-change,

into something rich and strange,

Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell,

Ding-dong.

Hark! now I hear them, ding-dong, bell."

The term sea-change is often used in a manner similar to Shakespeare's original context. For example, a character from literature may transform over time into a better person after undergoing various trials or tragedies, i.e. "There is a sea change in Scrooge's personality towards the end of the play." Likewise, a community might undergo a sea-change when faced with exposure of their petty jealousies or prejudices. Like the term Potemkin village

Potemkin village

Potemkin villages or Potyomkin villages is an idiom based on a historical myth. According to the myth, there were fake settlements purportedly erected at the direction of Russian minister Grigory Potemkin to fool Empress Catherine II during her visit to Crimea in 1787...

, sea-change has also been used in business culture. In the United States, sea-change is often used as a corporate buzzword

Buzzword

A buzzword is a term of art, salesmanship, politics, or technical jargon that is used in the media and wider society outside of its originally narrow technical context....

. In this context, it need not refer to a substantial or significant transformation, but can indicate a far less impressive change.