|The island of Great Britain|
Satellite image by NASA
[Old English Breoten, Breten, Bryten from Latin Brittones (see BRITON);
later forms from Old French Bretaigne (modern -agne), from Latin Brittan(n)ia from Brit(t)anni, corresponding to Greek Bret(t)anoi, Pret(t)anoi.]
More fully (especially as a political term) Great Britain.
As a geographical and political term: (the main island and smaller offshore islands making up)
England, Scotland, and Wales, sometimes with the Isle of Man.
Also (as a political term) the United Kingdom, Britain and its dependencies, (formerly) the British Empire.
Note: Britain, after the Old English period, was for long used only as a historical term, but in 1604 James I and VI was proclaimed 'King of Great Britain'
and this name was adopted for the then United Kingdom at the Union in 1707.
Also: obsolete Britainer noun = BRITON noun L16-E19
The British people have many curious traditions: warm beer, cricket, bamboozling foreigners with bizarre accents and divvy words, and throwing cucumber sandwiches at passing cars. However, one of their greatest joys is utterly befuddling the world as to what their country is actually called. In fact, so culturally ingrained is this heritage of bafflement and complication that most British people are themselves unsure what country they're from: is it Great Britain, Britain, the United Kingdom or (and be careful with this one) England? Therefore, to end this long and cruel history of political misdirection, Lexicolatry is going to clear this up - right here, right now, once and for all. Never again will a Briton hesitate with uncertainty when asked where he is from, or have to endure the bemused glances of immigration officers when they flounder over their country of origin: "I'm from Britain ... no ... wait ... the United ... umm ... England. No ... it's ... the United Britain of Great England. That's it. That's definitely it." So here we go:
Great Britain is an island, northwest of France and to the east of Ireland. Great Britain comprises of three countries, none of which are independent states: England, Scotland and Wales. Their capitals are London, Edinburgh and Cardiff respectively, and although their state as a whole has its centre of government in London, England, both Scotland and Wales have certain levels of devolved power. However, the important part to remember is that Great Britain is an island.
|The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland|
(with helpful arrows showing its constituent countries)
So, that wasn't so difficult, right?
- Great Britain (or Britain) = The island comprising of England, Scotland & Wales
- The UK = The sovereign state comprising of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Of course, Brits don't like to make it that simple, and matters are often confused by an interchangeability in the terminology (at least in popular usage). Therefore, Britain is often used to refer to the UK and vice versa, and foreigners often think it's all just England, a mistake that understandably causes some consternation to those from the UK, but who define themselves as Scottish, Welsh, Northern Irish or Irish. That being said, there are all kinds of cultural and political sensitives at play, and these definitions reflect the official legal and political status, rather than any particular political leaning or slant, and none of this is even attempting to tackle the complicated nature of Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories or Commonwealth Nations. Phew.
|The flag of the UK|
Are you from Britain?
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Have you been similarly confused by the terminology?
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