Great Britain
proper noun
- proper noun A large island (sometimes also including some of the surrounding smaller islands) off the north-west coast of Western Europe, made up of England, Scotland, and Wales.
- proper noun (loosely) The United Kingdom, a kingdom and country in Northern Europe including the island of Great Britain as well as Northern Ireland on the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland.
- proper noun (historical) A former kingdom existing on the island of Great Britain from 1707 to 1801, consisting of England, Scotland and Wales; it was in personal union with the Kingdom of Ireland and later merged with it. Official name: Kingdom of Great Britain.
- proper noun (politics, law) England, Scotland and Wales in combination, to the exclusion of Northern Ireland.
- proper noun (sports) The United Kingdom national team (often inclusive of Northern Ireland).
Synonyms
GB Gramarye Albion Blighty England Old Blighty Old Dart sceptred isle United Kingdom UK U.K. Britain United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Etymology
Of the island of Great Britain, to disambiguate Britain from Brittany, i.e. Lesser Britain. From Middle English Great Brittaigne, Grete Britaigne, Grete breteygne, grete Bretayne, grete breteyne, paralleling Anglo-Norman Grande Brettayne and c. 12th-century Medieval Latin Britannia Maior. Equivalent to Great + Britain.
King James VI and I in 1604 proclaimed himself “King of Great Britain, France and Ireland”.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “Great Britain”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details