Britain

Meaning

Name

1. (broadly, countable, uncountable) 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.
2. (countable, uncountable) 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.
3. (countable, uncountable) England, Scotland and Wales in combination.
4. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Brittany.
5. (countable, in-plural, uncountable) The British Isles.
6. (countable, historical, uncountable) The British state and its dominions and holdings; the British Empire.
7. (countable, in-plural, uncountable) The British Empire.

Noun

An ancient Briton.

Adj

Briton; British.

Synonyms

Great Britain

United Kingdom

England

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

U.K.

🇬🇧

UK

🇬🇧

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

GB

🇬🇧

Europe

Britannia

foreign country

Translations

Grande-Bretagne

Gran Bretagna

Gran Bretaña

Grã-Bretanha

Gran Bretanya

Groot-Brittannië

Großbritannien

Britannien

Βρετανία

Brittannië

Grossbritannien

Βρεταννία

Bretagna

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbɹɪt.ən/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: Britayne

Cognate with Old English: Breten

Cognate with Welsh: Prydain

Cognate with Old Welsh: Priten

In summary

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.

Sentences

In Britain it flowers less profusely and even has a reputation for being tender .

He appears to have been taken prisoner at Yorktown , Virginia and returned to Britain .