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Britain most often refers to:

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
The realm of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, comprising the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies, and British Overseas Territories.

Britain may also refer to:

Places

British Isles, an archipelago comprising Great Britain, Ireland and many other smaller islands
British Islands, the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man collectively
Roman Britain, a Roman province corresponding roughly to modern-day England and Wales
Historical predecessors to the present-day United Kingdom:
- Kingdom of Great Britain (1707 to 1800)
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801 to 1922)
Britain (place name)
Britain, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States

People

Calvin Britain (1800–1862), an American politician
Clarissa Britain (1816–1895), an American inventor
Kristen Britain (born 1965), an American novelist

Other uses

Captain Britain, a Marvel Comics superhero

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+{{Wiktionary|Britain}}
-The word '''Britain''' is used to refer to
+'''Britain''' most often refers to:
-* the island of [[Great Britain]] (with its outlying islands) consisting of [[England]], [[Scotland]], and [[Wales]], or
-* the [[United Kingdom]] and its predecessors. The latter usage is very common (and is even used by the UK government) but is also widely regarded as incorrect. As explained below, the discrepancy has arisen because the island and the kingdom at one time coincided, but do so no longer.
+* The [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]], a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
-The word ''British'' can indicate association with Britain in either of the above senses (i.e. the island or the kingdom), or with
+* [[Great Britain]], a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
-* the [[British Empire]] and its forces, which at one time included a quarter of the world's population,
+* The realm of the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom]], comprising the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies, and British Overseas Territories.
-* The [[brythonic]] [[Celt]]s of Great Britain (the "ancient [[Briton]]s", distinct from the [[goidelic]] Celts of [[Ireland]]), or
-* (disputably) the [[British Isles]]
+'''Britain''' may also refer to:
+{{TOC right}}
-==Evolution of the words==
+==Places==
-The meanings of ''Britain'' and ''British'' have evolved over time and as they have gained political significance.
+* [[British Isles]], an archipelago comprising Great Britain, Ireland and many other smaller islands
+* [[British Islands]], the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man collectively
+* [[Roman Britain]], a Roman province corresponding roughly to modern-day England and Wales
+* Historical predecessors to the present-day United Kingdom:
+** [[Kingdom of Great Britain]] (1707 to 1800)
+** [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]] (1801 to 1922)
+* [[Britain (place name)]]
+* [[Britain, Virginia]], an unincorporated community in the United States
+==People==
-In [[325 BC]] the [[Greece|Greek]] [[Pytheas| 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''.
+* [[Calvin Britain]] (1800–1862), an American politician
+* [[Clarissa Britain]] (1816–1895), an American inventor
+* [[Kristen Britain]] (born 1965), an American novelist
+==Other uses==
-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]].
+* [[Captain Britain]], a Marvel Comics superhero
+==See also==
-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 [[1st century BC|55 and 54 BC]].
+* {{Look from|Britain}}
+* {{In title|Britain}}
+* [[Terminology of the British Isles]]
+* [[England]]
+* [[Britains]]
+* [[Britannia]]
+* [[Brittain (disambiguation)]]
+* [[Brittany (disambiguation)]]
+* [[Brit (disambiguation)]]
+* [[Britten (disambiguation)]]
+* [[Briton (disambiguation)]]
+* [[Brittonic languages]]
+* [[British (disambiguation)]]
+* [[Great Britain (disambiguation)]]
+* [[Little Britain (disambiguation)]]
+* [[New Britain (disambiguation)]]
+* [[National sports teams of the United Kingdom]]
+{{disambiguation|geo|surname|given name}}
-Some believe that when the [[Romans]] took over the southern part of Great Britain they named the island after the [[Brigantes]], one of the largest [[Celtic Tribes]].
-However the Romans derived the name, they called their possessions ''[[Britannia]]''.  The earlier Celtic inhabitants became known as ''[[Briton]]s'' 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 language|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 was 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 I of England|James VI of Scotland and I of England]]. On [[20 October]] [[1604]] he proclaimed himself "King of Great Britain" (thus including [[Wales]] and also avoiding the cumbersome title "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 independence of what is now the [[Republic of Ireland]]. The name of the kingdom changed accordingly, becoming ''[[United Kingdom|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'''
-* Pretaniké; Pretanikai nesoi (Pretanic isles) 325 BC
-* Britannia 55 BC ([[Julius Caesar]], [[Roman invasion of Britain]])
-* Brittisc 855 ([[Oxford English Dictionary|OED]])
-* Grate Briteigne 1548 ([[Oxford English Dictionary|OED]])
-* British isles 1550 (in [[Latin]]; map of [[Sebastian Munster]] cited in [[British Isles]] article)
-'''See also'''
-*[[List of country name etymologies]]
-*[[Act of Union 1707]]
-*[[Act of Union 1800]]
-*[[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland]]
-*[[Ireland Declaration of Independence|Ireland: Declaration of Independence]]
-*[[Anglo-Irish Treaty|Irish Free State Agreement]]
-*[[United Kingdom|United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]]
-*[[List of United Kingdom topics]]
-*[[The British Kings]]
-==Sources and Further Reading==
-*<cite>[[A History of Britain]]: At the Edge of the World, 3500 BC - 1603 AD</cite> by [[Simon Schama]], BBC/Miramax, 2000 ISBN 0786866756
-*<cite>A History of Britain, Volume 2: The Wars of the British 1603-1776</cite> by [[Simon Schama]], BBC/Miramax, 2001 ISBN 0786866756
-*<cite>A History of Britain - The Complete Collection</cite> on DVD by [[Simon Schama]], BBC 2002 ASIN B00006RCKI
-*<cite>The Isles, A History</cite> by [[Norman Davies]], Oxford University Press, 1999, ISBN 0-19-513442-7
-*<cite>Shortened History of England</cite> by [[George Macaulay Trevelyan|G. M. Trevelyan]] Penguin Books ISBN 0140233237
-* <cite>Origins: A Short Etymological Dictionary of Modern English</cite> by Eric Partridge, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London, 1966
-[[de:Britannien]]
-[[simple:Britain]]