Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Of, relating to, or characteristic of England or its people or culture.
  • adjective Of or relating to the English language.
  • noun The people of England.
  • noun The West Germanic language of England, the United States, and other countries that are or have been under English influence or control.
  • noun The English language of a particular time, region, person, or group of persons.
  • noun A translation into or an equivalent in the English language.
  • noun A course or individual class in the study of English language, literature, or composition.
  • noun The spin given to a propelled ball by striking it on one side or releasing it with a sharp twist.
  • noun Bodily movement in an effort to influence the movement of a propelled object; body English.
  • transitive verb To translate into English.
  • transitive verb To adapt into English; Anglicize.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Belonging to or characteristic of England (the largest of the three kingdoms which with the principality of Wales form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland), or to its inhabitants, institutions, etc.: often used for British.
  • Of or pertaining to or characteristic of the language spoken by the people of England and the peoples derived from them. See II., 2.
  • noun Collectively, in the plural, the people of England; specifically, natives of England, or the people constituting the English race, particularly as distinguished from the Scotch, Welsh, and Irish.
  • noun [ME. English, Englisch, etc., ⟨ AS. Englisc, Ænglisc, neut. adj. as noun (also with a noun, Englisc gereord or getheód), the English language—that is, the language spoken by the Angles and, by extension, by the Saxons and other Low German tribes who composed the people called Anglo-Saxons. See etymology above, Anglo-Saxon, and def.] The language of the people of England and of the peoples derived from them, including those of English descent in the United States of America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the British dependencies in India, Africa, and other parts of the world.
  • noun The English equivalent of a foreign word; an English rendering.
  • noun In printing, a size of type between pica and great primer: in the United States, about 5⅛ lines to the linear inch.
  • noun This line is in English type.
  • noun In billiards, a twisting or spinning motion imparted by a quick stroke on one side to the cue-ball.
  • noun idiomatic or correct English.
  • To translate into the English language; render in English.
  • To furnish with English speech.
  • To express in speech; give an account of.
  • In billiards, to cause to twist or spin and to assume a more or less sharply angular direction after impact: as, he Englished his ball too much.
  • In billiards, to impart a twisting or spinning motion to the cue-ball: as, I Englished just right.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Of or pertaining to England, or to its inhabitants, or to the present so-called Anglo-Saxon race.
  • adjective See Congou.
  • adjective (Mus.) See Corno Inglese.
  • adjective (Bot.) See under Walnut.
  • noun Collectively, the people of England; English people or persons.
  • noun The language of England or of the English nation, and of their descendants in America, India, and other countries.
  • noun A kind of printing type, in size between Pica and Great Primer. See Type.
  • noun (Billiards) A twist or spinning motion given to a ball in striking it that influences the direction it will take after touching a cushion or another ball.
  • noun See under King.
  • transitive verb To translate into the English language; to Anglicize; hence, to interpret; to explain.
  • transitive verb (Billiards), U.S. To strike (the cue ball) in such a manner as to give it in addition to its forward motion a spinning motion, that influences its direction after impact on another ball or the cushion.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective English-language; of or pertaining to the English language.
  • adjective Of or pertaining to England or its people.
  • adjective Of or pertaining to an Englishman or Englishwoman.
  • adjective Of or pertaining to the avoirdupois system of measure.
  • proper noun The language originating in England but now spoken in all parts of the British Isles, the Commonwealth of Nations, the United States of America, and other parts of the world.
  • proper noun The people of England; Englishmen and Englishwomen.
  • noun One's ability to employ the English language correctly.
  • noun The English-language term or expression for something.
  • noun Specific language or wording; a text or statements in speech, whether a translation or otherwise.
  • noun countable A regional type of spoken and or written English; a dialect.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English, from Old English Englisċ ("of the Angles"), from Engle ("the Angles"), a Germanic tribe.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word English.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Not only does the English Language borrow words from other languages, it sometimes chases them down dark alleys, hits them over the head, and goes through their pockets.

    ~Eddy Peters

    April 12, 2011