Meanings
-
1
noun
the West Germanic language that originated in England and is now spoken in many countries around the world
English is the main language used at the conference.
-
2
adj
written or spoken in the English language, or relating to that language
The museum provides English translations of every label.
-
3
adj
of or relating to England, its people, or its culture
The course explores English history from the Tudors to the present.
-
4
noun
the people of England considered collectively
In the census table, the English were listed separately from the Scots and the Welsh.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English Englisch and English, from Old English Englisċ ("of the Angles"), formed from Engle ("the Angles") + -isċ, the ancestor of modern -ish. The same tribal name produced England, originally "land of the Angles." Angle is commonly connected with Angeln in present-day Schleswig-Holstein; the deeper origin of the place-name is uncertain.