Englisc

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. The Old English adjective meaning belonging to the Angles, the English people, or their language
2. An early medieval form of the adjective for things pertaining to the English nation or its speech
3. Old English term describing anything connected with the Angles or the language spoken in early England

Etymology: The Angles, a Germanic people, gave their name to England and to this word. In Old English their name was "Engle," and "englisc" was formed by adding the suffix "-isc," meaning "belonging to" or "of the kind of." The same ending appears in "Dutch," which comes from Old English "Dutisc," so "englisc" originally meant "of the Engle," and it could describe both the people and their speech. The Angles' own name is probably linked to "angul," meaning "hook" or "fishhook," possibly a reference to the shape of the land they came from, the Angeln peninsula in what is now northern Germany. This connection is likely but not certain. Over the centuries the Old English spelling changed to "English," with the ending now pronounced "-ish."