Britain

Meaning

Name

1. The United Kingdom.
2. The island of Great Britain, consisting of England, Scotland and Wales, especially during antiquity.
3. England, Scotland and Wales in combination.
4. (obsolete) Brittany.
5. The British Isles.
6. The British state and its dominions and holdings; the British Empire.
7. 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

Hyphenated as

Brit‧ain

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbɹɪt.ən/

Etymology

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 .