British

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   of or relating to Great Britain or the United Kingdom, or to its people or culture

   British trade unions played a major role in the country's industrial politics.

2. 2
   noun

   the people of Great Britain or the United Kingdom considered collectively

   The survey asked the British how they viewed the proposed constitutional change.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

British derives from Latin Britannia “Britain” and Brittones “the Britons,” which also gave English Britain and Briton during the Anglo-Saxon period. It originally referred to the ancient Britons or their Celtic language and was not extended to the later mixed population of Britain until the later Middle Ages.

From Middle English Brittish and Old English Brettisc, 'of the Britons,' formed from the name of the Britons plus the ancestor of -ish. Briton and Britain ultimately continue Latin Britto and Britannia, names used for the island and its inhabitants.

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External links

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• Cambridge Dictionary
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