Eng·lish ( ng gl sh)

adj.
1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of England or its people or culture.
2. Of or relating to the English language.
n.
1. (used with a pl. verb) The people of England.
2.
a. The West Germanic language of England, the United States, and other countries that are or have been under
English influence or control.
b. The English language of a particular time, region, person, or group of persons: American English.
3. A translation into or an equivalent in the English language.
4. A course or individual class in the study of English language, literature, or composition.
5. also english
a. The spin given to a propelled ball by striking it on one side or releasing it with a sharp twist.
b. Bodily movement in an effort to influence the movement of a propelled object; body English.
tr.v. Eng·lished, Eng·lish·ing, Eng·lish·es
1. To translate into English.
2. To adapt into English; Anglicize.

[Middle English, from Old English Englisc, from Engle, the Angles.]

Eng lish·ness n.
Word History: English is derived from England, one would think. But in fact the language name is found long before
the country name. The latter first appears as Englaland around the year 1000, and means "the land of the Engle," that
is, the Angles. The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes were the three Germanic tribes who emigrated from what is now
Denmark and northern Germany and settled in England beginning about the fourth century A.D.Early on, the Angles
enjoyed a rise to power that must have made them seem more important than the other two tribes, for all three tribes
are indiscriminately referred to in early documents as Angles. The speech of the three tribes was conflated in the same
way: they all spoke what would have been called *Anglisc, or "Anglish," as it were. By the earliest recorded Old

English, this had changed to Englisc. In Middle English, the first vowel had already changed further to the familiar (
) of today, as reflected in the occasional spellings Ingland and Inglish. Thus the record shows that the Germanic
residents of what Shakespeare called "this sceptered isle" knew that they were speaking English long before they were
aware that they were living in England.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin
Company. All rights reserved.

English [ˈɪŋglɪʃ]

1. (Linguistics / Languages) the official language of Britain, the US, most parts of the Commonwealth, and certain other countries. It
is the native language of over 280 million people and is acquired as a second language by many more. It is an Indo-European
language belonging to the West Germanic branch See also Middle English, Old English, Modern English

(Social Science / Peoples)

the English (functioning as plural) the natives or inhabitants of England collectively

3. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 14 point

4. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) an old style of black-letter typeface

5. (Group Games / Billiards & Snooker) (often not capital) the usual US and Canadian term for side (in billiards)

adj

1. (Linguistics / Languages) denoting, using, or relating to the English language

2. (Social Science / Peoples) (Placename) relating to or characteristic of England or the English

vb (tr)

(Linguistics) Archaic to translate or adapt into English Related prefix Anglo-

Englishness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

English

See also language.

Anglicism

1. a word, idiom, or feature of the English language occurring in or borrowed by another language.
2. U.S. a Briticism.
3. any manner, idea, or custom typical of the English people. Also called Englishism.

Anglicist

an authority on the English language or English literature.

Briticism, Britishism

a word or phrase characteristic of speakers of English in Britain and not usually used by English speakers elsewhere.

-Ologies & -Isms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun 1. English - an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of
Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
English language
West Germanic, West Germanic language - a branch of the Germanic languages
 American English, American language, American - the English language as used in the United States
cockney - the nonstandard dialect of natives of the east end of London
geordie - the nonstandard dialect of natives of Newcastle-upon-Tyne
King's English, Queen's English - English as spoken by educated persons in southern England
Received Pronunciation - the approved pronunciation of British English; originally based on the King's
English as spoken at public schools and at Oxford and Cambridge Universities (and widely accepted
elsewhere in Britain); until recently it was the pronunciation of English used in British broadcasting
Middle English - English from about 1100 to 1450
Modern English - English since about 1450
Old English, Anglo-Saxon - English prior to about 1100
Oxford English - the dialect of English spoken at Oxford University and regarded by many as affected and
pretentious
Scots, Scots English, Scottish - the dialect of English used in Scotland
2. English - the people of England
English people
nation, country, land - the people who live in a nation or country; "a statement that sums up the nation's
mood"; "the news was announced to the nation"; "the whole country worshipped him"
3. English - the discipline that studies the English language and literature
arts, humanistic discipline, humanities, liberal arts - studies intended to provide general knowledge and
intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills); "the college of arts and sciences"
4. English - (sports) the spin given to a ball by striking it on one side or releasing it with a sharp twist
side
athletics, sport - an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
spin - a swift whirling motion (usually of a missile)
Adj. 1. English - of or relating to or characteristic of England or its culture or people; "English history"; "the
English landed aristocracy"; "English literature"
2. English - of or relating to the English language
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2008 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

Translations
Select a language:
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English
adj English [ˈiŋgliʃ]
of England or its inhabitants three English people; the English language.
n
the main language of England and the rest of Britain, North America, a great part of the British Commonwealth and some other
countries He speaks English.
n Englishman
a person born in England.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2010 K Dictionaries Ltd.