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Webster 1913 Edition

British

Brit′ish

(brĭt′ĭsh)
,
Adj.
[AS.
Brittisc
,
Bryttisc
.]
Of or pertaining to Great Britain or to its inhabitants; – sometimes restricted to the original inhabitants.
British gum
,
a brownish substance, very soluble in cold water, formed by heating dry starch at a temperature of about 600° Fahr. It corresponds, in its properties, to dextrin, and is used, in solution, as a substitute for gum in stiffering goods.
–
British lion
,
the national emblem of Great Britain.
–
British seas
,
the four seas which surround Great Britain.

Brit′ish

,
Noun.
pl.
People of Great Britain.

Webster 1828 Edition

British

BRIT'ISH

,
Adj.
Pertaining to Great Britain or its inhabitants. It is sometimes applied to the language of the Welsh.

Definition 2024

British

British

See also: british

English

Alternative forms

A British woman

Proper noun

British

  1. With the, the citizens or inhabitants of Britain collectively.
  2. With the, the citizens or inhabitants of the United Kingdom collectively.
  3. (historical) The ancient inhabitants of the southern part of Britain before the Anglo-Saxon invasion, also called ancient Britons.
  4. The Celtic language of the ancient Britons; Common Brittonic.
  5. The British English language.

Translations

Adjective

British ‎(comparative more British, superlative most British)

  1. Of Britain (meaning the British Isles)
  2. Of the United Kingdom.
  3. Of the Commonwealth of Nations, or the British Empire.
  4. (historical) Of the ancient inhabitants of the southern part of Britain; Brythonic.
  5. Of British English.

Translations

Derived terms

Quotations

  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:British.

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: school · language · court · #752: British · meant · tears · expected

british

british

See also: British

French

Adjective

british m, f ‎(invariable)

  1. typically British
    Il est très british - he is a very typical Brit.

Spanish

Adjective

british ‎(invariable)

  1. British

Etymology

In Old English as Bryttisc ‎(“Britons”) . The spelling with single -t- appears in the 13th century under the influence of Latin Britannia, but spelling with -tt- persists alongside -t- during the 13th to 17th 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.

Pronunciation

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