Britain definition

brĭtn
The island of Great Britain during pre-Roman, Roman, and early Anglo-Saxon times before the reign of Alfred the Great (871–899). The name is derived from Britannia, which the Romans used for the portion of the island that they occupied.
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proper name
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The island of Great Britain, consisting of England, Scotland and Wales. [from 10th c.]
pronoun
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(now historical) Brittany. [from 13th c.]
pronoun
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(now historical) The United Kingdom; the British state and its dominions and holdings; the British Empire. [from 17th c.]
pronoun
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(in the plural) The British Empire. [from 19th c.]
pronoun
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(now rare, historical) An ancient Briton. [from 15th c.]
noun
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(obsolete) Briton; British. [16th-18th c.]
adjective
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Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
britain
Plural:
britains

Origin of britain

  • Old English Breoton, Bryten etc., from Latin Britannia; later reinforced by Anglo-Norman Britaine, Old French Bretaigne, from Latin Brittannia, variant of Britannia, from Britannī (see Etymology 2, below).

    From Wiktionary

  • From Latin Britannus (adjective and noun, plural Britannī), apparently from Brythonic (compare Old Welsh Priten).

    From Wiktionary

Britain Sentence Examples

  • This was fine with Great Britain but not with Maine.

  • The government of the world I live in was not framed, like that of Britain, in after-dinner conversations over the wine.

  • The value of the trade with British colonies and Great Britain in 1905 was over 7,200,000.

  • Prehistoric tumuli are found abundantly in almost all parts of Europe and Asia from Britain to Japan.

  • Araucaria imbricata, the Chile pine, or "monkey puzzle," was introduced into Britain in 1796.

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Words near britain in the Dictionary