Britain
is used to refer toEvolution of the words
The meanings of ''Britain'' and ''British'' have evolved over time and as they have gained political significance. In 325_BC the Greek Pytheas of Massalia visited a group of islands which he called ''Pretaniké'', the principal ones being Albionon (Albion) and Ierne (Erin). (The records of this visit date from much more recent times, so there is room for these details to be disputed.) To linguists, this suggests the Brythonic inhabitants called themselves ''Priteni''. In manuscripts of the Anglo-Saxon_chronicle there is a reference to the inhabitants having migrated to the islands from ''"Armenia"'' but most historians believe this was a mistake in transcription and that the actual origin of the islanders was Armorica. Because of resistance to Roman rule in Armorica (which was supported by Celtic aristocrats in the islands) Julius Caesar responded with two invasions of the main island in 55 and 54 BC. Others believe that when the Romans took over Britain they named the island after the Brigantes, one of the largest Celtic_Tribes. When the Romans took control of the largest island they called their possessions ''Britannia''. The earlier Celtic inhabitants became known as ''Britons'' and the island as ''Britain''. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the name Britannia largely fell into abeyance and tended to be used in an historical sense, referring to the Roman possessions. Some centuries after the Romans had left, some of the Britons returned to the near continent. Further centuries later Geoffrey_of_Monmouth used the names ''Britannia minor'' to refer to the Armorican region they had returned to and ''Britannia major'' for the island. Only by the late Middle_Ages did the concept of "Britain" come to represent anything more modern than the Romans. By then, the continental region was known as ''Brittany'' and the island as ''Great_Britain'' (compare the French names ''Bretagne'' and ''Grande Bretagne''). The kingdoms established on the island of Great Britain were perceived to be dominant over the whole archipelago, which had thus became known as the ''British_Isles''. During the reign of Queen_Elizabeth_I the queen's astrologer and alchemist, John_Dee, wrote mystical volumes predicting a British Empire and using the terms ''"Great Britain"'' and ''"Britannia"''. After Elizabeth's death in 1603 the kingdoms shared one King, James VI of Scotland and I of England. On 20_October 1604 he proclaimed himself "King of Great Britain" (thus avoiding the more cumbersome "King of England and Scotland"). This title was eventually adopted formally in 1707 when the ''Kingdom_of_Great_Britain'' was formed. The adjective used for the kingdom was ''British''. Since its formation, the kingdom was enlarged in 1801 by the addition of the island of Ireland, then reduced in 1920 by the loss of what is now the Republic_of_Ireland. The name of the kingdom changed accordingly, culminating in ''The United_Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland''. To some writers the meaning of ''British'' and ''Britain'' have changed with the Kingdom. The word ''British'' is now in common use to indicate United_Kingdom (UK) nationality because there is no suitable substitute. However, to other writers ''Britain'' is still synonymous with only the island of Great Britain. Other terms also cause confusion. ''Great_Britain'' is undisputedly the name of the large island, but is occasionally used to mean the UK, for instance in the modern Olympic_Games. ''The British_Isles'' is still a geographical term for the archipelago, but it can also still be seen as implying dominance by Great Britain, so it is sometimes avoided. The prefix ''Anglo'', historically meaning ''English'', is sometimes used to denote the UK, as in ''Anglo-Irish''. See the respective articles. Early usages
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