Britic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the Brittonic branch of Celtic languages spoken in Britain before and during the early medieval period
2. Describing the ancient Celtic tongues of Britain, such as Welsh, Cornish and Breton, that form one branch of the Celtic family
3. Of or belonging to the Celtic languages historically spoken across Britain, grouped together as the Brittonic family

Etymology: "Britic" is a rare English adjective meaning British. It is a shortened form of "Britannic," which comes from the Latin "Britannicus," meaning of "Britannia," the Roman name for the island of Great Britain. The Romans took that name from the "Britanni," the people they found there, whose own name is generally thought to come from a Celtic root, though its exact meaning is uncertain. English kept the longer "Britannic" for formal and official uses, so the clipped "britic" stayed a rare, mostly literary variant. It shares its root with "Briton" and "Britain," so it is closely tied to those more familiar words.

Synonyms: british, brittonic