Link Centre Dictionary

British

bri·tish

UK/ˈbɹɪtɪʃ/ US/ˈbɹɪtɪʃ/ common informal us
adjective (1) noun (1)

adjective

1.

of or relating to or characteristic of Great Britain or its people or culture

  • “his wife is British”

noun

1.

Origin

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.

Phrases

  • best of British luck
  • Black British
  • British America
  • British Antarctic Territory
  • British Columbia
  • British Islands
  • British Isles

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Pertaining to

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.