Revised 2008
Britishadjective & noun
Factsheet
What does the word British mean?
There are six meanings listed in OED's entry for the word British, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
How common is the word British?
About 200occurrences per million words in modern written English
1750 | 60 |
1760 | 78 |
1770 | 98 |
1780 | 120 |
1790 | 110 |
1800 | 160 |
1810 | 170 |
1820 | 150 |
1830 | 170 |
1840 | 190 |
1850 | 180 |
1860 | 160 |
1870 | 140 |
1880 | 140 |
1890 | 150 |
1900 | 160 |
1910 | 180 |
1920 | 210 |
1930 | 220 |
1940 | 270 |
1950 | 220 |
1960 | 230 |
1970 | 200 |
1980 | 170 |
1990 | 150 |
2000 | 140 |
2010 | 140 |
How is the word British pronounced?
British English
/ˈbrɪtɪʃ/
BRIT-ish
U.S. English
/ˈbrɪdɪʃ/
BRID-ish
Where does the word British come from?
Earliest known use
Old English
The earliest known use of the word British is in the Old English period (pre-1150).
British is formed within English, by derivation.
Etymons: Brett n.1, ‑ish suffix1.
Nearby entries
- Britannical, adj.1548–
- Britannically, adv.1716–
- britannicize, v.1887–
- Britannish, adj.Old English–1705
- britch, n.1884–
- britchka, n.1812–
- Britcom, n.1977–
- britholite, n.1899–
- Briticism, n.1868–
- Briticization, n.1953–
- British, adj. & n.Old English–
- British Asian, adj. & n.1966–
- British Black English, n.1982–
- British Blue, n.1929–
- British Broadcasting Company, n.1922–
- British Broadcasting Corporation, n.1926–
- British Bulldog, n.1829–
- British Celtic, n. & adj.1786–
- British colonial, n.1902–
- British Columbian, adj. & n.1858–
- British-crown, n.1695–
Etymology
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Meaning & use
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Pronunciation
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Forms
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Frequency
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Compounds & derived words
Thank you for visiting Oxford English Dictionary
To continue reading, please sign in below or purchase a subscription. After purchasing, please sign in below to access the content.
Institutional access
Institutional account management
Entry history for British, adj. & n.
British, adj. & n. was revised in December 2008.
British, adj. & n. was last modified in September 2023.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into British, adj. & n. in September 2023.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1888)
OED Second Edition (1989)
Cite
Chicago
Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
Copied to clipboard
MLA9
“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .
Copied to clipboard
Contribute
Citation details
Factsheet for British, adj. & n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- Britannical, adj.1548–
- Britannically, adv.1716–
- britannicize, v.1887–
- Britannish, adj.Old English–1705
- britch, n.1884–
- britchka, n.1812–
- Britcom, n.1977–
- britholite, n.1899–
- Briticism, n.1868–
- Briticization, n.1953–
- British, adj. & n.Old English–
- British Asian, adj. & n.1966–
- British Black English, n.1982–
- British Blue, n.1929–
- British Broadcasting Company, n.1922–
- British Broadcasting Corporation, n.1926–
- British Bulldog, n.1829–
- British Celtic, n. & adj.1786–
- British colonial, n.1902–
- British Columbian, adj. & n.1858–
- British-crown, n.1695–