Britain
Briton; British.
Adjective
- Briton; British.
- [M]ightie Albion, father of the bold / And warlike people which the Britaine Iſlands hold. - 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IIII, Canto XI”, in The Faerie Queene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for...
Origin
From Middle English brytayn, from Latin Britannus (adjective and noun, plural Britannī), apparently from Brythonic (compare Old Welsh Priten).
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Proper noun
- The United Kingdom, a kingdom and country in Northern Europe including the island of Great Britain as well as Northern Ireland on the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland.
- There’s a move in the islands to secede from Britain and join Norway or even Denmark — an Orkxit to follow Brexit. - 2023 July 21, “Dinner Party Intel: Gray Lady blows the final whistle”, in Financial Mail, archived...
- Great Britain, a large island (sometimes also including some of the surrounding smaller islands) off the north-west coast of Western Europe, made up of England, Scotland, and Wales; especially (but not exclusively) during antiquity.
- England, Scotland and Wales in combination.
- Brittany.
- The British Isles.
- The British state and its dominions and holdings; the British Empire.
- The British Empire.
- The name of 'Britain' […] ought to answer every purpose, or if that be thought too condensed, it may be pluralized into ‘The Britains’. - 1874 July 14, The Times:
Origin
Etymology tree Ancient Greek Βρεττανός (Brettanós) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā) Ancient Greek Βρεττανία (Brettanía)bor. Latin Britannia Anglo-Norman Britainebor. Middle English Britayne English Britain From Middle English Britayne, Breteyn, from Anglo-Norman Bretaigne, Bretaine, from Latin Brittannia, variant of Latin Britannia, from Britannī; reinforced by native Old English Breten, from the same Latin source. Ultimately from Proto-Brythonic *Prɨdėn (“Britain”) from *Pritanī (also compare *Prɨdɨn (“Picts”) from *Pritenī), attested to in Ancient Greek as Πρεττανική (Prettanikḗ), compare Welsh Prydain. Doublet of Britannia and Brittany. More at Britto.
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Related
Battle of Britain Breton Britannia British Briton Britton Brittany Broken Britain proto-Britain Roman Britain
Derived
Noun
- An ancient Briton.
- The Britains’ struggles with the Scots and Picts [...] led to the Britains asking the Romans for help in constructing a great wall. - 2002, L. C. Lambdin, R. T. Lambdin, Companion to Old and Middle English Literature,...