British

Meaning

Noun

1. (plural, plural-only, usually, with-definite-article) The residents or inhabitants of Great Britain.
2. (plural, plural-only, usually, with-definite-article) The citizens or inhabitants of the United Kingdom.
3. (plural, plural-only, usually, with-definite-article) The earlier inhabitants of southern Britain, prior to the Anglo-Saxon invasion and subsequent migrations.
4. (obsolete, plural, plural-only, usually, with-definite-article) Synonym of Welsh: the Welsh people.

Name

1. (usually, with-definite-article) The Celtic language of the ancient Britons; Common Brittonic.
2. (US, usually, with-definite-article) The British English language.

Adj

1. (usually, with-definite-article) Of Britain.
2. (usually, with-definite-article) Of the United Kingdom.
3. (usually, with-definite-article) Of the Commonwealth of Nations, or the British Empire.
4. (informal, proscribed, usually, with-definite-article) Of England; English.
5. (historical, usually, with-definite-article) Of the ancient inhabitants of the southern part of Britain; Brythonic.
6. (historical, usually, with-definite-article) Of the British Isles.
7. (usually, with-definite-article) Of British English.

Synonyms

Briton

English

British people

Brits

Britisher

European

Brit

Britannic

imperial

foreign

britisher

limey

Anglican

Translations

británico

🇬🇧

britannique

🇬🇧

britannico

🇬🇧

britânico

🇬🇧

Britannique

Brits

🇬🇧

britisch

🇬🇧

britànic

🇬🇧

Brit

Brite

βρετανικός

بريطاني

Britse

βρεταννικός

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbɹɪtɪʃ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: Brittish

Inherited from Old English: Brettisċ

In summary

From Middle English Brittish, from Old English Brettisċ.
The spelling with single -t- appears in the 13th century under the influence of Medieval Latin Britannicus, but spelling with -tt- persists alongside -t- during the 13th to at least 18th centuries.
In reference to the island of Great Britain from ca. 1400 (Latin natio Anglica sive Britannica, Brittisshe occean 1398, the Britishe nacion 1548).
As a noun, referring to the British people, British soldiers, etc. from ca. 1600.

Sentences

His grandfather is British .

He also became British Trials Champion .

Memotech did not receive funding they expected from the British government for this project .

Doctor Pedro Malan was appointed to the Board of British American Tobacco p . l . c .

Broadfoot was born in North Vancouver , British Columbia to a religious family .

The British in turn demanded that Zaghloul end his political agitation .