England

:For an explanation of often confusing terms like England, (Great) Britain and United Kingdom see British Isles (terminology).

Nomenclature

The country is named after the Angles, one of several Germanic tribes who settled the country in the 5th and 6th centuries.

Related Topics:
Angles - Germanic tribe - 5th - 6th

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are two distinct linguistic patterns for the name of the country. The majority of European languages use names akin to "England":

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• "England" (Danish, German, Swedish, Norwegian)
• "Engeland" (Dutch)
• "Inglismaa" (Estonian)
• "Angleterre" (French)
• "Inghilterra" (Italian)
• "Inglaterra" (Spanish, Portuguese, Galician)
• "Anglia" (Hungarian, Polish, Romanian)
• "Anglija" (Russian, Slovene, Lithuanian)
• "Engleska" (Croatian, Serbian)
• "??????" ("Anglía") (Greek)
• "Englanti" (Finnish)

The Celtic names are quite different, deriving from the languages of tribes existing throughout the British Isles, often for thousands of years before even the Romans arrived:

Related Topics:
Celtic - Romans

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• "Bro-Saoz" (Breton)
• "Pow Sows" (Cornish)
• "Sasana" (Irish)
• "Sasainn" (Scottish Gaelic)
• "Lloegr" (Welsh), but "Saeson" for the inhabitants.

Yet more linguistic diversity was contributed by the Saxons, another Germanic tribe which arrived at about the same as the Angles.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

See: for a further list of non-English names for England.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"England" is sometimes mistakenly used to refer to the entire United Kingdom, the island of Great Britain, or the British Isles. This may offend people from other parts of the UK. Frequently the English use the less-specific "Britain" or "the UK", even when "England" is technically correct.

Related Topics:
United Kingdom - Great Britain - British Isles

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Alternative names include:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

• the slang "Blighty", from the Hindustani "bila yati" meaning "foreign"
• "Albion", an ancient name popularised by Pliny the Elder and Ptolemy in the 1st century. Supposedly referring to the white (Latin alba) cliffs of Dover, this term has also been interpreted as a relative of Alba, today the Scots Gaelic name for Scotland. Whatever its origins, "Albion" originally referred to the whole island of Great Britain and is still sometimes seen that way today — but is more often used for England.
• More poetically, England has been called "this sceptred isle...this other Eden" and "this green and pleasant land", quotations respectively from the poetry of William Shakespeare (in Richard II) and William Blake (And did those feet in ancient time).

The inhabitants of England are the English. The slang terms sometimes used for them include "Sassenachs" (from the Scots Gaelic), "Limeys" (in reference to the citrus fruits carried aboard English sailing vessels to prevent scurvy) and "Pom/Pommy" (used in Australian English and New Zealand English), but these may be perceived as offensive. Also see alternative words for British.

Related Topics:
Scots Gaelic - Citrus fruit - Scurvy - Australian English - New Zealand English - Alternative words for British

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~