User:Andy G
As I'm poking about in the British/American English pages, I'd better state that I'm English.
And a bit interested in where words come from. Let's use this space for a trail repalcement of the Britain redirect page...
The words Britain and British are used to refer to
- the island of Great Britain
- or (arguably incorrectly) the United Kingdom.
British may also describe
- The brythonic celts of Great Britain (the "ancient Britons", distinct from the goidelic celts of Ireland)
See also
- The British Isles
The meanings of Britain and British have evolved over time and as they have gained political significance.
Around 325 BC Pytheas of Massalia visited a group of islands known as Pretaniké, the principal ones being Albionon (Albion) and Ierne (Erin). (The records of this visit date from much more recent times, so there is room for the details to be disputed.) When the Romans took control of the largest island they called their possessions Britannia. The earlier celtic inhabitants became known as Britons and the island as Britain. Some centuries after the Romans had left some of these Britons migrated to the near continent. About 1000 years later the region they had occupied was known as Brittany, and to distinguish the island the term Great Britain was used. By this time the kingdoms established on the island of Great Britain were perceived to be dominant over the whole archipelago, which thus became known as the British Isles. In 1603 the kingdoms shared one King, James I of England and VI of Scotland. He proposed unifying the kingdoms under the name of Great Britain. This eventually came to pass in 1707, when the united Kingdom of Great Britain was formed. Its people were described as British.
Since its formation the united Kingdom was enlarged in 1801 by the inclusion of the island of Ireland, then reduced in 1922 by the loss of what is now the Republic of Ireland. The full name of the United Kingdom (UK) has changed accordingly, and to some writers the meaning of British and Britain have changed with it. To others Britain is still synonymous with the island of Great Britain. However, the only word available to indicate United Kingdom nationality seems to be British.
Other terms also cause confusion. Great Britain remains the name of the large island, but is occasionally used to mean the UK, notably in the modern Olympic Games. The British Isles is still a geographical term for the archipelago, but it can also still be seen as implying dominance by Great Britain, so it is sometimes avoided. See the respective articles.
British: of or denoting Britain, a country of W Europe, consisting of the island of Great Britain and part of the island of Ireland
New Collins Concise English Dictionary, Collins, London, 1985
OED first dates
- Brittisc 855 (celtic people or language)
- Grate Briteigne 1548
- Britany 1579
- British isles 1621
But usage in other languages predated these e.g. "Insulae Britannica" circa 1550