Britishadj.n.
/ˈbrɪtɪʃ/, U.S. /ˈbrɪdɪʃ/ A. adj.† 2. Of or relating to the Brittonic-speaking people originally inhabiting Brittany in northern France; Breton. Obsolete.
1.
a. Of or relating to the Brittonic-speaking peoples originally inhabiting all of Britain south of the Firth of Forth before and during the Roman occupation.
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the world > people > ethnicities > Celtic people > [adjective] > ancient Britons
WelsheOE
BritishOE
Brett1535
Britainc1540
Welsh British1659
Brittonic1890
OE Poenitentiale Theodori & Capitula d'Acheriana (Brussels) in F. J. Mone Quellen u. Forschungen zur Geschichte der teutschen Literatur u. Sprache (1830) 519 Ða ðe beoð gehadede fram Scyttiscum preostum oððe bisceopum, oððe fram Bryttiscum.
OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.i) anno 508 Her Cerdic & Cynric ofslogan anne brittiscne [lOE Laud bryttiscne] cing.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 14871 Austine..mænde to..þan kinge of Æst-Angle, hu Bruttissce [c1300 Otho Bruttusse] biscopes hine grætte mid huxes.
1573 T. Twyne tr. H. Llwyd Breuiary of Britayne f. 89v So many puissant kynges, so many inuincible captaynes so many noble Roman Emperours, spronge forth of the British bloud, haue made manifest vnto the world..what maner men this Iland bringeth foorth.
1598 J. Norden Speculum Brit.: Hartfordshire 24 The inhabitantes, for the most part being of the auncient britishe line: who deseruing well at the handes of the Romans, were made Municipes as it were free denizens of Rome.
1647 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. 151 He calls..Hellen an English woman, whereas she was purely British, and that there was no such nation upon earth called English at that time.
1734 L. Theobald Merlin 7 Others have thought, that it [sc. Stone-henge] was a Temple of our Druids long before the coming in of the Romans. Some, that it was a Triumphal British Monument.
1782 W. Cowper Boadicea i, in Poems 354 The British warrior queen, Bleeding from the Roman rods.
a1854 H. Reed Lect. Eng. Hist. (1855) iv. 121 Ancient British nationality received into itself a Roman nationality.
1870 C. Knight Crown Hist. Eng. i. 3 A road, acknowledged to be British, still crosses Salisbury Plain.
1952 E. Crauford tr. G. Walter Caesar vii. 222 Most of the seditious disturbances in Gaul betrayed the influence of British agitators.
1998 J. Cope Mod. Antiquarian 135/1 They..met little resistance, except from Caratacus, the defiant king of the eastern British Catuvellaunii.
b. Of or relating to any of the Brittonic languages spoken by the Celtic inhabitants of Britain. Later: spec. Welsh; (occasionally) Cornish.
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the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adjective] > Indo-European > Celtic > Brythonic
Britishc1275
British Celtic1786
P-Celtic1902
the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adjective] > Indo-European > Celtic > Welsh
Welsh?a1425
British1548
Welsh Celtic1789
Powysian1805
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13393 Nu ic þe wulle teche Bruttisce spæche.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 79 Þis citee..in Brittische speche heet Caerleon,..and Chestren in Englisshe.
1548 Hall's Vnion Ep. Ded. sig. ❧iiv Geffrey of Monmothe a thousand yere and more after Iulius Cesar, translated a certayn Britishe or Welshe boke.
1573 T. Twyne tr. H. Llwyd Breuiary of Britayne f. 50 The welshmen vse the British tongue, and are the very true Britaynes by birth.
1662 Act of Uniformity (13–14 Chas. II, c. 55) §27 That the Book [of Common Prayer] hereunto annexed be truly and exactly translated into the British or Welsh Tongue.
1713 W. Fleetwood in Life St. Wenefrede 61 Wen in the Old British Tongue signifies White.
a1742 T. Story Jrnl. of Life (1747) 177 We had a meeting at Myrion, with the Welsh Friends..For several of them appearing in Testimony in the British Tongue, which I did not understand.
1838 W. Howitt Rural Life Eng. II. iii. xvi. 380 The British tongue here [i.e. in Tintagel] lingered till lately.
1876 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest V. xxv. 550 They kept their own tongue, borrowing only a handful of words from the British tongue.
2006 Western Mail (Cardiff) 16 Sept. 12 The Welsh language developed from the ancient British tongue, Brythonic.
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the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > France or Frankish land > [adjective] > Brittany
Bretonc1405
Armorican1577
British1602
Britain1641
OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1076 Se ylca Raulf wæs bryttisc on his modor healfe, & Rawulf his fæder wæs englisc.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13045 Howel of Brutaine..ferde to þan munte þer þat Brutisce maide bibured læi on eorðe..& seoððen he ȝæf nome þan hulle..nu hit hæhte Munt Seint Myhhel.
1602 R. Carew Surv. Cornwall ii. f. 131v One of their auncestours..entertained a British miller, as that people, for such idle occupations, proue more handie, then our owne.
1652 M. Nedham tr. J. Selden Of Dominion of Sea i. xviii. 111 Rotlandus, Governor of the British (that is, the Aremorican) shore, mentioned in the life of Charle-maign by Eginhartus.
1774 T. Warton Hist. Eng. Poetry I. Diss. I. sig. a4 Gualter, archdeacon of Oxford,..travelling through France, procured in Armorica an antient chronicle written in the British or Armorican language, entitled, Bruty-Brenhined.
3. Of or relating to Britain, or to its people or language. Also: of or relating to the British Empire (now historical) or the British Commonwealth. See also Black British n. and adj. (b) at black adj. and n. Compounds 1e(a), Great British Public n. at Great British adj. and n. Compounds.
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the world > the earth > named regions of earth > Europe > British Isles > [adjective] > Britain
BritannishOE
BritishOE
Britona1387
Britannical1548
Britannian1589
Britain1609
Britannic1635
pongo1944
Brit1948
OE Regularis Concordia (Tiber.) (1993) i. 1 Anglorum ceterarumque gentium intra ambitum brittanice insulę degentium rex egregius : engliscra & oþra þeoda wiðinnan embhwyrft brittisces iglandes wunigendra cincg æðelboren.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xv. lxvi. 763 Fraunce..eendeþ in þe northe at Brittisshe occean.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cv The lorde of Rustinan Marshall of Britayn, assembled a greate company of the Britishe nacion, whiche fortefied & repaired the toune of Pountorson.
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Scotl. 7/1 in Chron. I A king..who inclyning to the petition of the Brytishe Scots, caused an huge army..to be leuied.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xi. 169 Fy fo and fum, I smell the bloud of a British man. View more context for this quotation
1643 Script. Reas. for Defens. Armes 76 The extirpation of the Brittish Nation, and Protestant Religion in that kingdome [sc. Ireland].
1699 S. Garth Dispensary i. 7 How have I kept the Brittish Fleet at ease.
1706–7 Act of Union 6 Anne xi. §1 art. 8 Without any mixture of British or Irish salt.
1769 E. Burke Observ. Late State Nation 85 Every British merchant in Petersburgh.
1803 Marquess Wellesley Let. 25 Sept. in Select. Despatches (1877) 366 The batteries of the British army opened against the fort.
1841 W. Spalding Italy & Ital. Islands II. 393 His strange discussions on the British constitution.
1882 Garden 18 Feb. 112/1 Our common British Ivy.
1908 Westm. Gaz. 7 May 1/3 A ‘buffer’ zone, inhabited by independent tribes, lies between the boundaries of British India and Afghanistan.
1911 Spectator 30 Sept. 489/1 The British subject has a repute for not knowing when he is beaten.
1949 K. Ferrier Let. 23 Oct. (2003) iii. 97 The British Ambassador gave a reception for me yesterday in his gorgeous home and I went dolled up in my grey frock and furs and felt wonderful.
1980 M. Shoard Theft of Countryside ii. vi. 62 Such grassland is the main habitat for the majority of British butterflies.
2007 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 15 June 10 Issuing ‘welcome packs’ to migrants, which could include information on acceptable behaviour as well as a guide to British culture and traditions.
B. n.
1. Any of the Brittonic languages spoken by the Celtic inhabitants of Britain. Later: spec. Welsh.Now (esp. since the 16th cent.) chiefly used to refer to the Brittonic language of Britain in the Roman and early Anglo-Saxon periods, the ancestor language of Welsh, Cornish, and Breton. Hardly any direct evidence of this language survives except names. In earlier use also frequently denoting British or Welsh as a contemporary language.
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the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Celtic > Brythonic
BritishOE
British Celtic1786
Brythonic1879
Brittonic1918
P-Celtic1919
OE tr. Felix St. Guthlac (Vesp.) (1909) vi. 136 Þa gehyrde he mycel werod þara awyrgedra gasta on bryttisc sprecende [L. Britannica..agmina].
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) Introd. Her sind on þis iglande fif geþeode: englisc & brittisc & wilsc [OE Tiber. B.iv Brytwylsc] & scyttisc & pyhtisc & bocleden.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 3149 Alfred þe king..wrat þa laȝen on Englis, ase heo wes ær on Bruttisc [c1300 Otho Bruttus].
1550 W. Salesbury Briefe & Playne Introd. British Tong sig. B. i In Britishe or Walshe in euery worde hath the true pronunciation of A in latine.
1576 W. Lambarde Perambulation of Kent 228 Wye, the word in Brittish signifieth, an Egge.
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 472 It coupleth it selfe with the river Yare, which the Britans called Guerne..of Alder trees, no doubt, so termed in British wherewith its over shadowed.
1770 T. Percy tr. P. H. Mallet Northern Antiq. I. p.v That the ancient British differed little from the Gaulish, we are assured by Tacitus.
1934 A. W. Wade-Evans Welsh Christian Kings xiii. 244 St. Finnian..among other accomplishments spoke British.
1962 G. Grigson Shell Country Bk. i. 112 Knowing no British, they would take this word avon for a name.
1972 W. B. Lockwood Panorama Indo-European Lang. vi. 67 It is often useful to be able to refer to Gaulish and British together; we may then speak of Gallo-Brittonic.
2. With plural agreement. The British people; British soldiers, etc., collectively. Chiefly with the.
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the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > British nation > [noun]
British1602
island race1621
British Lion1687
Great British Public1833
1602 J. Clapham Hist. Eng. 57 The nature & fashions of the Irish, did not then much differ from the British.
1652 in M. Hickson Ireland in 17th Cent. (1884) I. xxxix. 245 As the Irish rebels marched through the said parish they murdered all the British they could lay their hands on.
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Anat. Ireland (1691) 18 The number of British slain in 11 years was 112 thousand Souls.
1708 London Gaz. No. 4459/3 The British had not a Man kill'd or wounded.
1788 T. Jefferson Let. 4 Dec. in Papers (1958) XIV. 331 This is emploiment for near 2000 seamen, and puts nearly that number of British out of employ.
1846 H. H. Wilson Hist. Brit. India 1805–35 II. vii. 269 Appearances began to assume an aspect most unfavourable to the British.
1887 Spectator 15 Oct. 1378 The British will, after many delays and much squirming, ultimately pay the money.
1955 Times 5 July 9/5 The Americans, who proclaim their anti-colonialist spirit, are nevertheless paving the way for the British.
2005 Independent 21 Sept. 32/1 For the past two years the British have kept as low a profile as possible in southern Iraq.
Phrases
(the) best of British luck: an expression of encouragement, often with the ironical implication that good luck will not be forthcoming. Also best of British.
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1960 Tucson (Arizona) Daily Citizen 12 Nov. 44/3 The very best of British luck to the great little destroyer and all the gallant kindly company of men who are taking the White Ensign to the other side of the world.
1963 L. Meynell Virgin Luck ii. 39 As soon as they [sc. kittens and young birds] can fend for themselves they get shoved out into the world and the best of British luck to them.
1967 W. Keenan Lonely Beat vii. 74 ‘Best of British.’ With that the reporter vanished.
1999 D. F. Wallace Brief Interviews with Hideous Men 146 Right from the start you'd imagined the series as an octet or octocyle, though best of British luck explaining to anyone why.
Compounds
C1.
a. With participial adjectives.
British-born adj.
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the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > British nation > [adjective]
Great British1645
British-born1667
pan-Britannic1709
Anglo-Indian1810
Angrezi1855
Angrez1896
Pommy1913
1667 J. Dryden Annus Mirabilis 1666 clxxvi. 45 And, though to me unknown, they, sure, fought well, Whom Rupert led, and who were British born.
1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) II. 108 Numbers of British-born subjects.
1897 F. McGlennon Sons of Sea 4 Sons of the Sea! All British born!..boys of the bull-dog breed Who made old England's name.
2007 Guardian (Nexis) 23 Aug. 9 Nearly 200,000 British-born citizens moved overseas last year, mostly to Australia, Spain and France.
British-built adj.
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society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > vessel of specific construction or shape > [adjective] > built in specific place
Clyde-built1582
English-built1622
homebuilt1676
British-built1707
1707 Bks. for Collectors No. A, in Instr. Collectors HM Customs in North Part Great Brit. I John Gibson Master of the Ship Thomas of London, British Built, Property all British.
1798 I. Sequeira New Merchant's Guide 199 Estridge Wool, may be imported in a British-built ship duty-free.
1887 Times 1 Oct. 9/4 It may still be a question whether an American yacht would prove as seaworthy in English waters as a British-built vessel.
1996 Holiday Which? Jan. 62/1 The frigate Unicorn (which boasts of being the oldest British-built warship afloat) is low-tech.
British-made adj.
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1725 H. Crouch Compl. View Brit. Customs 88 (heading) Bounty on British made Sail Cloth Exported.
1894 Outing 24 470/2 Our British-made sails were..kept decently flat only by drenching the luffs with water, a process called ‘skeating’.
1945 Daily Mirror 27 Sept. 3/1 British-made women's shoes in ‘patent leather’ plastics may be on sale next summer.
2004 K. Fox Watching Eng. (2005) ii. 163 Vauxhalls and other British-made ‘fleet’ cars.
British-owned adj.
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1785 Arrangem. with Ireland Considered 46 The West India planters had the address to procure, in 1738, a law for allowing them to send their sugars to every market in Europe, first in British built ships, and afterwards in British owned ships.
1891 Proc. Royal Geogr. Soc. 13 255 Till within the last few months, the Canton river trade..has been entirely carried on by British-owned vessels.
1998 Independent 5 Feb. i. 11/3 This British-owned fly speck in the mid-Atlantic between Africa and Brazil is to be opened for the first time to civilian flights.
b. Parasynthetic.† British matronism n. Obsolete
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1889 Standard 18 July 3/7 An outbreak of some epidemic of British matronism.
C2. † British-man n. Obsolete (a) = Briton n. 1; (b) = Briton n. 2.
British Black English n. a modified form of Jamaican Creole spoken by some black British people of Caribbean descent (cf. patois n. 2).
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1982 D. Sutcliffe (title) British Black English.
1984 Language 60 429 A British Black English (BBE) of West Indian origin exists alongside English, raising problems of school policy.
2005 D. Davies Varieties Mod. Eng. v. 65 The use of London Jamaican or British Black English thus has covert prestige as..it represents the distinctiveness of its speakers as an ethnic group and reinforces their solidarity.
British Blue n. a variety or breed of British Shorthair cat with a steel-grey coat; a cat of this variety or breed.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Felidae (feline) > felis domesticus (cat) > [noun] > miscellaneous breeds of
blue cat1771
chartreuse1838
Maltese1857
Maltese cat1857
Abyssinian1871
Abyssinian cat1871
Russian Blue1872
Malay cat1881
chinchilla1889
longhair1889
Russian longhair1889
Maine cat1900
short-hair1903
British Shorthair1923
British Blue1929
Burmese cat1939
rex1958
rag doll1970
Maine Coon1971
1929 Times 6 Dec. 11/2 Winners at Crystal Palace show... National Cat Club Specials. British Blue male or female.
1963 B. Vesey-Fitzgerald Cat Owner's Encycl. 32 British Blue. This is undoubtedly the aristocrat of British Shorthairs.
2002 Cat Fancy May 96/2 Milian spends three days a week in New York..leaving Schlesinger in Miami to care for their three young daughters and a British Blue named Chelsea.
British Broadcasting Company n. a private company formed in 1922 by a group of radio manufacturers in order to establish national radio broadcasts in the United Kingdom (reconstituted and renamed in 1927 as the British Broadcasting Corporation); abbreviated B.B.C. (see B.B.C. n.).
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1922 Westm. Gaz. 19 Oct. 7/6 The British Broadcasting Company will broadcast news, information, concerts, lectures, educational matter, speeches, weather reports, and theatrical entertainments.
1932 P. G. Wodehouse Hot Water ii. 66 He's got a job with the British Broadcasting Company... He does the noises off.
2002 L. Purves Radio (2003) i. 12 And in 1922 the British Broadcasting Company—not yet a corporation—opened a proper service, under the leadership of a dour and driven Scottish engineering manager called John Reith.
British Broadcasting Corporation n. a public corporation for radio and television broadcasting in the United Kingdom, established by royal charter in 1927, and funded by revenue from viewing licences rather than commercial advertising; abbreviated B.B.C. (see B.B.C. n.).Until the first commercial channel was founded in 1954, the BBC held a monopoly in British broadcasting.
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society > communication > broadcasting > broadcasting service > [noun] > broadcasting company
B.B.C.1923
British Broadcasting Corporation1926
C.B.S.1930
ABC1931
Portland Place1937
Independent Broadcasting Authority1954
ORTF1964
PBS1969
I.B.A.1971
LBC1973
1926 Times 15 July 27/5 The British Broadcasting Corporation..would take over the British Broadcasting Company as a going concern with all its assets.
1938 Yale Law Jrnl. 48 165 Already the British Broadcasting Corporation has served as something of a model for public broadcasting in Canada and Australia.
1997 C. Carson Star Factory (1998) 45 The ‘educated’ accent on the first syllable, Bélfast, has been prevalent for at least three generations, preceding the admittedly powerful influence of the British Broadcasting Corporation.
2002 Isis 93 528/2 Baird's most lasting contribution to the development of television is related to..his ability to convince the British Broadcasting Corporation to begin experimental broadcasts as early as 1929.
British Bulldog n. (a) the bulldog, regarded as a quintessentially British breed and used to symbolize a spirit of courage and tenacity thought characteristic of the British; (hence) a courageous or tenacious British person; (b) a children's game in which players have to cross an open space without being intercepted and seized by an opponent in the middle, those caught joining the opponent in attempting to catch other players.
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society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > children's game > hiding or chasing game > [noun] > other chasing games
course-a-park1613
hunt the squirrel1742
Tom Tiddler's ground1816
one catch all1854
Relievo1877
pig in the middle1887
Red Rover1891
ring-a-levio1891
stuck-in-the-mud1944
British Bulldog1949
kiss chase1957
stick-in-the-mud1968
1829 Bristol Mercury 27 Jan. 1/2 Though they [sc. Catholics] may cast a net of adamant over the lordly lion, they cannot check the spirit of the British bulldog.
1862 Daily News 12 Aug. 4/5 The self-styled British bull-dog quietly submitted to be fondled by an Arch-duchess into a Hapsburg pet.
1949 Portland (Maine) Press Herald 21 May 16/4 Al Fenton..led the soccer game, with Bob Pomery..handling the Izzy-Dizzy and British Bulldog games.
1969 I. Opie & P. Opie Children's Games iii. 138 ‘British Bulldog’ is the toughest, and the most popular, of the games in which players are waylaid while crossing a street or open space.
1991 P. Gzowski Fourth Morningside Papers ix. 205 A thousand memories tumbled through my mind: games of scrub and British Bulldog in the gravelled schoolyard, marbles and soakers in the spring.
1999 Daily Star 23 Apr. 48/2 His band of internationals failed to find the British bulldog spirit needed to come from behind.
British Celtic n. and adj. (a) n. any of the Celtic languages spoken in early Britain or their modern descendants; (later) spec. those of the P-Celtic group (= Brittonic n.); (b) adj. of or designating these languages.
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the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Celtic
Celtic1658
British Celtic1786
the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Celtic > Brythonic
BritishOE
British Celtic1786
Brythonic1879
Brittonic1918
P-Celtic1919
the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [adjective] > Indo-European > Celtic > Brythonic
Britishc1275
British Celtic1786
P-Celtic1902
1786 Let. in C. Vallancey Collectanea de Rebus Hibernicis 13 115 The first inhabitants of Ireland being swarms mostly from Britain, spoke the British-Celtic, undoubtedly.
1837 G. L. Craik & C. MacFarlane Pict. Hist. Eng. I. 22/2 The assumption..that the ancient British Celtic tongue is still substantially preserved in the modern Welsh.
1866 J. F. Leslie Early Races Scotl. 36 Pen is a British Celtic word, which enters into the formation of very many names of places in all parts of Britain except in Caledonia... It is all but unknown in the proper names of Caledonia and Ireland.
1887 J. A. Wylie Hist. Sc. Nation II. vi. 81 It is probable that the Scriptures, either in British Celtic, or in Latin, were the text book in this humble seminary.
1913 R. C. Maclagan Our Ancestors xx. 253 In all the British Celtic dialects, including early Irish, we have míl, meaning an animal, beast, brute.
1976 P. MacCana in J. J. O'Meara & B. Naumann Lat. Script & Lett. A.D. 400–900 195 The creation of a pluperfect tense, common to the several branches of British Celtic but without counterpart in Irish, can hardly be explained except through Latin influence.
2009 Irish Times (Nexis) 31 Oct. 12 The word for head is pen in Brythonic (British Celtic) languages, but ceann in Irish.
British colonial n. Philately a postage stamp issued for use in a (former) British colony; usually in plural.
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society > communication > correspondence > postal services > payment for postage > [noun] > postage stamp > types of
black1863
penny black1863
local1865
error1866
toadskin1867
fiscal1869
imperforate1874
tête-bêche1874
halfpenny1881
provisional1885
British colonial1902
precancel1903
definitive1929
airmail1930
pictorial1934
perfin1945
1902 Little Folks I. 317/2 Packets of stamps containing..British Colonials.
1970 M. Tripp Man without Friends vii. 74 I built up a good collection.., British Colonials mostly.
2005 Daily Mail (Nexis) 14 Nov. 16 A decent stamp collection (50 British colonials, all different).
British Commonwealth n. (also British Commonwealth of Nations) see commonwealth n. 6.
British-crown n. now historical a small British gold coin (originally valued at five shillings) minted during the reign of Charles I; cf. Britain crown n. at Britain n.2 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > coins collective > English coins > [noun] > crown or five shillings
halfpenny of gold1463
crown1526
crown piece1613
decus1688
British-crown1695
bull's-eye1699
petition crown1745
Britain crown1793
bull1819
caser1825
Oxford scholar1937
1695 W. Lowndes Rep. Amendm. Silver Coins 25 To Coin the Unites, Double Crowns, British Crowns, &c. of Gold to be Twenty two Carats Fine, and Two Carats Allay, and the Old Standard for Silver continued.
1760 W. Banson School-master & Scholar's Mutual Assistant 44 How many French Crowns..are equal Value to British Crowns?
1866 A. Crump Pract. Treat. Banking x. 224 Charles I—Gold [coins]—Three-pound piece, angel, unite, double-crown, British-crown.
British disease n. a problem or failing supposed to be characteristic of the British as a nation, esp. proneness to industrial unrest; cf. English disease n. 2.
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society > morality > moral evil > wrong conduct > [noun] > immoral conduct or habits > a vice or bad habit > English or British
English diseasea1691
English sickness1855
British disease1863
vice anglais1942
1807 Weekly Entertainer Dec. 975 Dr. Rush, in designating this [sc. ague] the British disease, laments its appearance and increase in America.]
1863 Q. Rev. July 171 We English ought certainly to be the last people to satirize others for tuft-hunting; but it is amusing to perceive how very naturally our Republican cousins take the inoculation of that truly British disease.
1971 Guardian 6 Mar. 11/5 The disruption is caused, in Ford's eyes, by the ‘British Disease’—constant, unpredictable strikes.
1991 K. Laybourn Brit. Trade Unionism Introd. 1 In recent years unions have been considered to be a major reason for the ‘British disease’ of industrial decline and stagnation.
British Double Summer Time n. now historical the daylight saving time used in the United Kingdom under emergency regulations, two hours ahead of GMT (UTC), and in force in the summer months of 1941-5 and 1947; abbreviated BDST; cf. double summer-time n. at double adj.1 and adv. Compounds 1.Also called Double British Summer Time.
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the world > time > reckoning of time > [noun] > systems of reckoning time of day
time1646
apparent time1694
local timea1703
Greenwich Mean Time1782
sun time1837
GMT1840
railway time1847
railroad time1849
Greenwich time1861
Eastern time1878
Pacific time1880
Universal Time1882
Eastern Standard Time1883
Mountain time1883
British Standard Time1908
daylight saving1908
zone time1908
LMT1909
British Summer Time1916
summertime1916
U.T.1929
B.S.T.1930
EST1935
British Double Summer Time1941
war time1942
B.D.S.T.1943
ephemeris time1950
1941 Motor 7 May 268/3 The hours of black-out are now 3/ 4 hour after sunset to 3/ 4 hour before sunrise, British Double Summer Time, in the greater part of the country.
1949 H. Shearman Ulster xii. 363 Thus you might leave the city of Derry at ten o'clock by British double summer time and travel for an hour into Donegal and find that it was still ten o'clock by Eire summer time.
1995 B. McElheran V-bombs & Weathermaps xxiv. 171 The explanation is that the army used British double summer time while the Continent was one hour behind.
British English n. [compare earlier American English n.] the English language as spoken or written in Britain, as contrasted with those forms used in the United States or other English-speaking countries; abbreviated BE, BrE.
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the mind > language > languages of the world > Indo-Hittite > [noun] > Indo-European > Germanic > English > British English
British English1867
1867 Galaxy May 102 This peculiarity of British English passes very gradually away as social and mental culture increase.
1892 H. Sweet New Eng. Gram. i. 224 The influence of the vulgar London or ‘Cockney’ dialect is stronger in Australasian than in British English.
1932 R. W. Chapman ‘Oxford’ Eng. 540 This expression may be current in America, but it is not British English.
1967 ‘J. Cross’ To Hell for Half-a-crown x. 130 The English that Neumann was babbling was not..British English..but American.
2004 Publishers Weekly Rev. (Nexis) 9 Aug. 240 The efforts of Americans such as Noah Webster to differentiate American from British English.
British gum n. now rare a form of dextrin prepared by roasting starch.Formerly used as a commercial name.
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the world > matter > chemistry > organic chemistry > carbohydrates > sugars > polysaccharides > [noun] > starch > derivatives of
British gum1818
tragacanthin1820
hordein1823
starch gum1835
traganthin1862
hydrol1926
1818 Liverpool Mercury 24 July 29/3 (advt.) Two ovens for making British gum, and a Room for Grinding and Dressing the same.
1839 A. Ure Dict. Arts 190 British Gum, the trivial name given to starch, altered by a slight calcination in an oven, whereby it assumes the appearance and acquires the properties of gum.
1934 C. C. Steele Introd. Plant Biochem. iii. ix. 90 Dextrins, Starch Gum, British Gum, are intermediate products obtained in the hydrolysis of starch; they can also be prepared by heating starch.
2002 Internat. Jrnl. Pharmaceutics 249 72/1 Pregelatinized corn starch, roast dextrin and British gum were used as the processed starch.
British-Israel n. and adj. (a) n. British Jews collectively; (b) adj. of or relating to British Jews or to British-Israelism generally.
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society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > salvation, redemption > doctrine of salvation > [adjective] > nationalism > applied to England
British-Israel1619
Anglo-Israelite1879
1619 T. Taylor Mappe Rome iii. 63 Those Romish Siseraes, Goliahs, that defied the hoast of British Israel.
1717 L. Milbourne Evil not to be Done 2 in Royal Martyr Lamented Rebels, Villains, Atheists, Papists, Phanaticks of all Sorts.., hate to hear..their old hellish Doctrines and devilish Practices ripp'd up,..least our British Israel should hear and fear, and recover their Wits.
1861 Times 16 Sept. 6/2 The tribes of the British Israel were here met in their houses to celebrate their patriarchal origin and to assert their rights of inheritance.
1907 (title) The British-Israel Ecclesia.
1999 Jrnl. Relig. 79 135 The fusty monachism, abstruse pyramidism and philosemitism of early British-Israel ideologues.
British-Israelism n. = Anglo-Israelism n.
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society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > salvation, redemption > doctrine of salvation > [noun] > nationalism > applied to England
Anglo-Israelism1876
British-Israelism1882
Anglo-Israelitism1884
1882 Hull Packet & E. Riding Times 24 Nov. 6/2 The subject of the lecture was ‘British Israelism; its connection with the events of the day’.
1903 Jewish Q. Rev. 15 675 It is very difficult to avoid British Israelism when dealing with the Lost Tribes.
1998 Vanity Fair (N.Y.) Nov. 103/1 There are Christian fundamentalists called ‘Christian Identity’, also known as ‘British Israelism’.
British Israelite n. and adj. (a) n. = Anglo-Israelite n.; (b) adj. = Anglo-Israelite adj.
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society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > salvation, redemption > doctrine of salvation > [noun] > nationalism > applied to England > adherent
Anglo-Israelite1875
British Israelite1882
1882 Freeman's Jrnl. (Dublin) 29 Sept. 5/6 A new method of delivering Ireland from all her grievances has been discovered by a Jewish newspaper, ‘The British Israelite and Judah's Prophetic Messenger’.
1924 Manitoba Free Press 10 Oct. 7/3 (headline) British Israelite meeting hears interesting history of relic.
1948 ‘N. Shute’ No Highway v. 133 He has been in trouble with the police arising out of his activities with the British Israelites.
1996 J. C. Cooper Dict. Christianity 160/1 The British Israelite theory is still held by some without any serious supporting evidence.
2001 Church Times 19 Oct. 22/2 While he is prepared to look into every crackpot form of spirituality from British Israelites to Transhumanism, it never occurs to him to attend an Alpha course.
British Legion n. (see legion n. 5).
British Lion n. (see lion n. 5c and Additions).
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the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > British nation > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Britain
British-maneOE
Briton1679
Britoner1799
Great Britainer1809
Britisher1815
Great British1843
Angrezi1866
Angrez1877
Brit1884
heaven-born1886
Pom1912
Pommy1913
choom1916
pongo1942
eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 501 Her c[u]om Port on Bretene & his ii suna..& ofslogon anne giongne brettiscmonnan [lOE Laud brytiscne man].
1608 T. Middleton Mad World, my Masters i. sig. A4 The Italian is not serude yet, nor the French: The British men come for a dozen at once, They ingrosse all the market, Tut my girle, Tis nothing but a politicke conueyance.
1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks III. Misc. iii. i. 144 Had it happen'd to one of us British-Men to have been born at Sea, cou'd we not therefore properly be call'd British-Men?
British oil n. now historical (originally) liquid petroleum, used as a remedy for various disorders; (later also) any of several medicinal preparations of varying composition but usually including liquid petroleum.
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1745 Rules & Maxims (Salisbury) 2 Betton's Only True British Oil. Which is an effectual Remedy..for many Disorders incident to human Bodies.
1823 Lancet 19 Oct. 89/2 British Oil.—Oil of turpentine, eight ounces; Barbadoes tar, four ounces; oil of rosemary, four drachms.
1849 Sci. Amer. 20 Oct. 34/2 An Oil Spring has been discovered... It is similar to British oil..and is said to have effected astonishing cures of rheumatism and kindred diseases.
1959 H. F. Williamson & A. R. Daum Amer. Petroleum Industry i. 12 Many white settlers observed and had their own direct experiences with petroleum used as a liniment..through the use of products such as ‘British oil’, a remedy for muscular ailments.
British peace n. now historical a state or period of relative peace in the countries of the former British Empire, seen as resulting from the British presence and administration; cf. Pax Britannica n.
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1800 Meteors No. 9. 131 The peaceful Hindoo mourn'd a despot's sway, His lawful Sov'reign shut from light of day; And saw the restless Tippoo (urg'd by France) 'Gainst the plighted faith, and British peace advance.
1872 Times 7 Aug. 4/2 195,223 troops, assisted by a relatively inexpensive police..kept all enemies far from our borders, or chastised..any rash disturbers of the great British peace.
2003 Chatham (Ont.) Daily News (Nexis) 12 Mar. 4 With the Romans came the principle of Pax Romana... Then came the British with Pax Britannica, ‘the peace of Britain’, a British peace on members of their empire... Now we are seeing the advent of Pax America.
British plate n. a type of silver-plated metal similar to Sheffield plate, but in which the silver is fused on a nickel alloy.
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1825 Morning Chron. 4 May 3/3 Total quantity of gold and silver in bars, or otherwise, exported under the heads of bullion, foreign coin, British coin, foreign plate, and British plate.
1933 R. E. Mantz & J. M. Murry Life of Katherine Mansfield iv. 33 The ‘British Plate’ manufactory in Holborn was now closed down.
1988 R. Feild & C. Dale Which? Guide to buying Antiques (rev. ed.) 134/1 Between 1836 and 1840 another version of Sheffield Plate, replacing the copper core with nickel alloy, was patented under the name of ‘British Plate’.
British Rail n. now historical (the name of) the national railway system of Great Britain or its management company, privatized under the Railways Act of 1993; cf. British Railways n. and B.R. n. at B n. Initialisms 1.
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society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > under one management > specific
GW1839
Vicinal1895
L.M.S.1923
L.N.E.R.1923
S.R.1923
British Railways1947
B.R.1949
S.N.C.F.1949
British Rail1964
Amtrak1973
1964 Punch 30 Sept. 478/3 British Railways are changing their name to British Rail.
1965 Evening Standard 4 Jan. 9/3 (heading) Now it's British Rail—Beeching's last new look for trains, stations, men.
1976 Illustr. London News Nov. 53/3 The productivity a head has more than quadrupled since 1945, whereas..for British Rail [it has] only doubled.
2004 Independent (Compact ed.) 30 Mar. 11/2 Travellers believe the old British Rail did not ‘leak’ money.
British Railways n. now historical (the name of) the national railway system of Great Britain or its management company, later called British Rail; cf. British Rail n.Between 1948 and 1962 British Railways was a part of the British Transport Commission.
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society > travel > rail travel > railway system or organization > [noun] > under one management > specific
GW1839
Vicinal1895
L.M.S.1923
L.N.E.R.1923
S.R.1923
British Railways1947
B.R.1949
S.N.C.F.1949
British Rail1964
Amtrak1973
1947 Times 24 Sept. 2/5 Sir Eustace Missenden..has recently been appointed chairman of the Executive of British Railways.
1964 Ann. Reg. 1963 12 British Railways, a weary and over-extended system, had been slithering ever deeper into deficits since 1953.
2002 A. N. Wilson Victorians 3 The waiting-rooms in British Railways stations in the 1950s were still gaslit.
British Raj n. (see raj n. 2).
British Restaurant n. now historical any of a number of government-subsidized restaurants opened in Britain during and after the Second World War (1939–45).
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the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > eating place > [noun] > eating-house or restaurant > other eating-houses
ordinary1590
chop-house1699
porterhouse?1730
steak house1762
beef-house1807
rotisserie1825
fish-shop1826
supper tavern1841
supper house1855
supper room1858
grill-room1883
teetotum1891
grill1896
bar and grill1903
corner-house1912
bistro1922
roadhouse1922
hot doggery1923
rosticceria1930
dinette1940
British Restaurant1941
drive-through1949
drive-up1956
sobaya1958
carvery1962
ouzeri1964
crêperie1967
steak restaurant1970
sushiya1970
steak bar1971
buka1972
kopitiam1979
bukateria1980
churrascaria1981
parrilla1981
Indian1982
theme pub1983
parrillada1984
restobar1992
1941 W. S. Churchill Minute 21 Mar. in Grand Alliance (1950) 663 I hope the term ‘Communal Feeding Centres’ is not going to be adopted... I suggest you call them ‘British Restaurants’.
1950 A. Wilson Such Darling Dodos 152 Returning from lunch at the British Restaurant.
1983 M. Duffy Londoners (1984) vi. 49 Here we could argue the hours away, feeling sophisticates with our intensity and Italian coffee after a childhood of the British Restaurant and cafés that closed at six and didn't open on Sunday even for meat and two veg with unidentifiable fruit pie and creamola.
British school n. now historical a non-denominational elementary school of a type founded by the British and Foreign School Society (formed in 1814) and run according to the educationalist Joseph Lancaster's system of using older pupils to help teach younger children (cf. Lancasterian adj.).
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society > education > place of education > school > [noun] > other types of school
writing schoola1475
rectory1536
spelling school1704
greycoat1706
rural school1734
Charter School1763
home school1770
Philanthropine1797
British school1819
side school1826
prep school1829
trade school1829
Progymnasium1833
finishing-school1836
field schoola1840
field school1846
prairie school1851
graded school1852
model school1854
Philanthropinum1856
stagiary school1861
grade school1869
middle school1870
language school1878
correspondence school1889
day continuation school1889
prep1891
Sunday school1901
farm school1903
weekend school1907
Charter School1912
folk high school1914
pre-kindergarten1922
Rabfak1924
cram-shop1926
free school1926
crammer1931
composite school1943
outward-bound1943
blackboard jungle1954
pathshala1956
Vo-Tech1956
St. Trinian's1958
juku1962
cadre school1966
telecentre1967
academy2000
academy school2000
1819 Bristol Mercury 11 Jan. On Monday last, Sir Charles Morgan, Bart. and his Christmas party, paid their usual annual visit to the Newport British School.
1903 Times 8 May 8/6 The British schools should remain as ‘non-provided schools’ until the methods and spirit in which the new Act was worked had become apparent.
1991 Times Educ. Suppl. 8 Mar. 5/1 The historic ‘British School’ at Hitchin has been sold by Hertfordshire county council to a firm of property developers despite a two-year campaign to turn the site into a working education museum.
British Shorthair n. an old British breed of domestic short-haired cat, which is relatively large, with a sturdy build, round face, and plush coat; a cat of this breed.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Unguiculata or clawed mammal > family Felidae (feline) > felis domesticus (cat) > [noun] > miscellaneous breeds of
blue cat1771
chartreuse1838
Maltese1857
Maltese cat1857
Abyssinian1871
Abyssinian cat1871
Russian Blue1872
Malay cat1881
chinchilla1889
longhair1889
Russian longhair1889
Maine cat1900
short-hair1903
British Shorthair1923
British Blue1929
Burmese cat1939
rex1958
rag doll1970
Maine Coon1971
1923 Times 15 July 10/1 The best British shorthair was Mr Kuhnel's tabby Autumn Bloom.
1972 C. Ing & G. Pond Champion Cats of World ii. 91 A cat may be registered as pedigreed if three generations of his ancestors are registered British Shorthairs.
2001 B. Dibra & E. Randolph CatSpeak iii. 43 Scottish Folds' bodies, facial characteristics, and plush coats are similar to those of American and British Shorthairs.
British Sign Language n. (also with lower-case initials in the second and third elements) a form of sign language developed for the use of deaf people in the United Kingdom; abbreviated BSL; cf. American Sign Language n. at American n. and adj. Compounds 3a.British Sign Language was recognized by the United Kingdom government as an official British language in 2003.
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the mind > language > a language > [noun] > sign language
hand language1625
arthrology1641
chirology1656
dactylology1656
finger-talk1656
finger language1669
hand alphabet1680
semiology1694
finger alphabet1751
finger talking1823
sign language1824
finger speech1826
indigitation1826
manual alphabet1876
dactylography1884
signing1891
American Sign Language1900
sign1930
British Sign Language1961
ASL1965
Ameslan1972
Yerkish1973
1961 Jrnl. Exceptional Children 27 440/2 Prof. William C. Stokoe..is now on a five-month research trip to the British Isles... Particular stress during this visit is the British sign language as it differs from and is similar to American sign language.
1980 M. Crichton Congo 253 For instance, BSL, British sign language, was totally different from ASL, American sign language.
2005 Disability Now May 11/3 Sky TV is calling for deaf viewers' feedback on the use of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in its programming.
British Standard Time n. (a) = Greenwich Mean Time n. at Greenwich n. 1c (now disused); (b) the standard time used experimentally in the United Kingdom from 18 February 1968 to 31 October 1971, one hour in advance of GMT (UTC), equivalent to Central European Time and British Summer Time but in force throughout the year; abbreviated BST.
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the world > time > reckoning of time > [noun] > systems of reckoning time of day
time1646
apparent time1694
local timea1703
Greenwich Mean Time1782
sun time1837
GMT1840
railway time1847
railroad time1849
Greenwich time1861
Eastern time1878
Pacific time1880
Universal Time1882
Eastern Standard Time1883
Mountain time1883
British Standard Time1908
daylight saving1908
zone time1908
LMT1909
British Summer Time1916
summertime1916
U.T.1929
B.S.T.1930
EST1935
British Double Summer Time1941
war time1942
B.D.S.T.1943
ephemeris time1950
1908 Times 4 Nov. 16/1 A reduction has been made in the charge for the transmission to private premises of a signal from Greenwich Observatory indicating 10 a.m. by British standard time.
1967 Times 24 Oct. 11/3 A bill will be introduced early next session to extend ‘summer time’ permanently throughout the year... We understand that the name British Standard Time is being considered; this is ambiguous, is likely to lead to confusion and misunderstanding and should be rejected.
1970 A. P. Herbert In Dark 11 By the beginning of February some real advantages will at last be seen to flow from British Standard Time.
2005 L. Holford-Strevens Hist. Time i. 16 An all-year BST, renamed ‘British Standard Time’, was enacted in 1968.
British Summer Time n. the daylight saving time used in the United Kingdom, one hour in advance of GMT (UTC), and in force in the summer months of most years since it was first introduced in 1916; abbreviated BST; cf. summertime n. 2, British Double Summer Time n.BST is now standardized as being in force from 01.00 GMT on the last Sunday in March to 01.00 GMT on the last Sunday in October.
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the world > time > reckoning of time > [noun] > systems of reckoning time of day
time1646
apparent time1694
local timea1703
Greenwich Mean Time1782
sun time1837
GMT1840
railway time1847
railroad time1849
Greenwich time1861
Eastern time1878
Pacific time1880
Universal Time1882
Eastern Standard Time1883
Mountain time1883
British Standard Time1908
daylight saving1908
zone time1908
LMT1909
British Summer Time1916
summertime1916
U.T.1929
B.S.T.1930
EST1935
British Double Summer Time1941
war time1942
B.D.S.T.1943
ephemeris time1950
1916 H. H. Peerless Diary 25 June in Brief Jolly Change (2003) 204 Another social revolution for conservative England is the adoption of ‘British Summer Time’—advocated for many years by the late Mr W. Willett..under the nomenclature of ‘daylight saving’.
1958 L. R. Muirhead Blue Guide to Northern Spain (ed. 2) p. cxxxvi Railway time is now 1 hour later than Greenwich time, and coincides with British Summer Time when the latter is in force.
2005 L. Holford-Strevens Hist. Time i. 16 Great Britain did likewise [sc. adopted summer time] for the duration of the war, and again in 1922, since when British Summer Time, or BST, has been in force for at least part of every year.
British Telecom n. (see telecom n.).
British thermal unit n. the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit, equivalent to approx. 1055 joules; abbreviation Btu (formerly also B.Th.U., B.T.U.).Now largely replaced in many countries by the SI unit of the joule.
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the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > heat > [noun] > unit of heat
thermal unit1853
calorie1863
British thermal unit1865
joule1882
large calorie1884
therm1888
kilogram calorie1892
B.T.U.-
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > heat > [noun] > measurement of heat > unit of thermal energy
thermal unit1853
calorie1863
British thermal unit1865
joule1882
therm1888
1865 J. C. E. Bourne Handbk. of Steam-engine iii. 162 There are 3.96832 British thermal units in a French thermal unit, and there is 0.251996 of a French thermal unit in a British thermal unit.
1920 Act 10 & 11 George V c. 28 §1 (2) A standard or maximum price for each hundred thousand British thermal units (in this Act referred to as ‘a therm’).
2005 Fairlady (Cape Town) Feb. 148/2 The cooling capacity of an air conditioner is measured in watts or Btu (British thermal units)—1W is equivalent to 3.41 Btu per hour.
British warm n. (see warm n.2 2).
British White n. (also British White cattle) any of various old breeds of white cattle kept in the British Isles; (now) spec. a breed of polled white cattle with black points; an animal of this breed.The polled breed was formally split from the horned White Park breeds in 1946.
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the world > animals > mammals > group Ungulata (hoofed) > group Ruminantia (sheep, goats, cows, etc.) > breeds of ox > [noun] > hornless
poll1786
moiley1824
British White1879
1879 J. Storer Wild White Cattle of Great Brit. xix The origin of British White Cattle is obscure. On the one hand, local tradition..declares some of them at least to be of the aboriginal wild breed of the British forests.
1950 Animal Breeding Abstr. 18 155 The name ‘British White’ was recently changed from ‘Park Cattle’, which in turn was the name given to the Wild White Cattle.
2004 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 18 July ix. 5/3 These days, that [sc. ‘stock’] means livestock, particularly the ‘heritage breed’ cattle like British Whites or Murray Greys.
Derivatives
ˈBritish-hood n. rare
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the world > people > nations > native or inhabitant of Europe > British nation > [noun] > native or inhabitant of Britain > state or quality of
Britishness1857
Britishism1879
British-hood1883
1883 A. Forbes in 19th Cent. Oct. 722 Their British-hood manifests itself in things big and in things little.
1914 E. Aiken River xxxv. 344 She convicted him archly of British-hood. ‘She knew he must have his tea!’
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.eOE