british
[ˈbɹɪɾɪʃ]
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.18 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The residents or inhabitants of Great Britain.
noun
The citizens or inhabitants of the United Kingdom.
noun
The earlier inhabitants of southern Britain, prior to the Anglo-Saxon invasion and subsequent migrations.
name
The Celtic language of the ancient Britons; Common Brittonic.
adj
Of Britain.
adj
Of the United Kingdom.
Etymology
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: [ˈbɹɪɾɪʃ]
- British English: [ˈbɹɪtɪʃ]