British
Brit·ish [ˈbrɪtɪʃ] [ˈbrɪtɪʃ] adjective
1. (abbr. Br.) connected with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or the people who live there
• the British Government
• He was born in France but his parents are British.
• British-based/British-born/British-made
2. the British noun plural the people of the United Kingdom
Derived Word: Britishness
Word Origin:
[British Britishness] Old English Brettisc ‘relating to the ancient Britons’, from Bret ‘Briton’, from Latin Britto, or its Celtic equivalent.
More About:
the British
There is no singular noun which is commonly used to refer to a person from Britain. Instead the adjective British is used: ▪ She’s British. ◊ ▪ The British have a very odd sense of humour. The adjective English refers only to people from England, not the rest of the United Kingdom.
The noun Briton is used mainly in newspapers: ▪ The survivors of the avalanche included 12 Britons. It also describes the early inhabitants of Britain: ▪ the ancient Britons. Brit is informal and can sound negative. Britisher is now very old-fashioned.
note at Scottish
Example Bank:
• a truly British comic hero
