Britannia

English

Wikipedia

Proper noun

Britannia

1. a female personification of Britain
   • 1740, James Thomson (lyrics), Thomas Arne (music), Rule, Britannia!

     Rule, Britannia! Britannia rule the waves / Britons never, never shall be slaves

Derived terms

• Britannia metal
• Britannia silver
• Rule Britannia

See also

• John Bull

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Latin

Etymology

Wikipedia

As Brittānia from the 1st century BC, from Ancient Greek Πρεττανια (Prettania, “Diodorus”), earlier νῆσος Πρεττανική or Βρεττανίαι, used by Pytheas (4th century BC) of the entire archipelago now known as the British Isles.

The Ancient Greek name is ultimately from a Celtic ethnonym, reconstructed as early British Celtic *Pritani, perhaps from a Proto-Celtic *kʷritanī, *kʷritenī, whence Welsh Prydyn (“Picts”), Old Irish Cruthne, Cru(i)then-túath 'Picts'.

Alternative forms

• Britania
• Brittānia
• Brittannia

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA: /briˈtan.ni.a/

Proper noun

Britannia (genitive Britanniae); f, first declension

1. Britain, ie. the country of the Britons
2. vocative singular of Britannia

Britanniā

1. ablative singular of Britannia

Inflection

nominative	Britannia
genitive	Britanniae
dative	Britanniae
accusative	Britanniam
ablative	Britanniā
vocative	Britannia
locative	Britanniae

Derived terms

• Britannia Minor (“Brittany”)

Related terms

• Britannī
• Britannicus
• Britannus
• Brītō / Brittō

Descendants

• Anglo-Norman: Bretaigne
• Catalan: Bretanya
• English: Britannia
• Old French: Bretaigne
• Italian: Bretagna