Etymologically
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britannique

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 18 October 2026 at 14:18. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /bʁi.ta.nik/[1]

Forms

britannique (plural britanniques)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin Britannicus (“of Britain”), from Britannia (“Britain”).[2][3][1] The same Latin name is the source of breton.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Jean Lemaire de Belges writes in 1512 of la tresnoble et tresillustre nation Françoise et Britannique.[4][2]

Semantic evolution

Cotgrave records the word in 1611, and the GLLF dates it to the 17th century.[4][5] It came to describe what concerns Great Britain and Ireland (les îles Britanniques) or only the United Kingdom (l'Empire britannique); in loose use it is equivalent to anglais.[2][3] Qualities thought typical of the English gave phrases such as le flegme britannique and l'humour britannique.[6][5]

Derivatives and loans include britannisme (Verlaine, 1884) and the familiar british, from English.[2]

Timeline

  • 1512 – Jean Lemaire de Belges.[4][2]
  • 1611 – Recorded by Cotgrave.[4]
  • 1884 – Britannisme, in Verlaine.[2]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. British: of Great Britain, the United Kingdom or the British Isles: les îles Britanniques, l'Empire britannique.[6][3]
  2. Showing qualities thought typical of the British: le flegme britannique.[5][6]

Noun

  1. Un, une Britannique: a Briton.[6][1]
  • breton
  • Bretagne
  • Latin Britannia

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ a b c d Quemada, Bernard, ed. (1959–2006), Datations et documents lexicographiques (Base historique du vocabulaire français, BHVF), Paris: Klincksieck / CNRS / Champion; ATILF
  5. ^ a b c Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  6. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert