English

[ ing-glishor, often, -lish ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of England or its inhabitants, institutions, etc.
2. belonging or relating to, or spoken or written in, the English language:

   a high school English class;

   an English translation of a Spanish novel.

3. of or relating to a person or thing that is not Amish, generally used by Amish people in Anglophone North America:

   The Amish rarely celebrate English holidays like Labor Day.

   He fixed a rabbit hutch for his English neighbor.

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) the people of England collectively, especially as distinguished from the Scots, Welsh, and Irish.
2. the Germanic language of England, widespread and standard also in the United States, Canada, and other countries colonized or settled by England, historically termed Old English (c450–c1150), Middle English (c1150–c1475), and Modern English (after c1475). : E
3. English language, composition, and literature as offered as a course of study in school.
4. a specific variety of the English language, as that of a particular time, place, or person:

   Shakespearean English;

   American English.

5. simple, straightforward language:

   What does all that jargon mean in English?

6. Sports. (sometimes lowercase)
   1. a spinning motion imparted to a ball, especially in billiards.
   2. body English.
7. Printing. a 14-point type of a size between pica and Columbian.
8. a grade of calendered paper having a smooth matte finish.
9. (used with a plural verb) people who are not Amish, generally used by Amish people in Anglophone North America:

   More Amish than English live in this county.

verb (used with object)

1. to translate into English:

   to English Euripides.

2. to adopt (a foreign word) into English; Anglicize.
3. (sometimes lowercase) Sports. to impart spin to (a ball).

English

/ ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ /

noun

1. the official language of Britain, the US, most parts of the Commonwealth, and certain other countries. It is the native language of over 280 million people and is acquired as a second language by many more. It is an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch See also Middle English Old English Modern English
2. the English
   functioning as plural the natives or inhabitants of England collectively
3. (formerly) a size of printer's type approximately equal to 14 point
4. an old style of black-letter typeface
5. often not capital the usual US and Canadian term for side

adjective

1. denoting, using, or relating to the English language
2. relating to or characteristic of England or the English

verb

1. archaic.
   to translate or adapt into English Anglo-

Derived Forms

• ˈEnglishness, noun

Other Words From

• Eng·lish·ness noun
• an·ti-Eng·lish adjective
• half-Eng·lish adjective
• non-Eng·lish adjective noun
• pre-Eng·lish adjective
• pro-Eng·lish adjective
• pseu·do-Eng·lish adjective
• qua·si-Eng·lish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of English¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English Englisc, equivalent to Engle (plural) “the English” (compare Latin Anglī “the Angles,” a branch of the Suevians + -isc; Angle, Anglic, -ish ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see body English ; in plain English .

Example Sentences

Storm Bert has had an impact on Saturday's English Football League programme, with matches at Blackburn, Bradford and Fleetwood being called off.

From BBC

California students’ test scores rose across math, English and science with big gains for low-income students.

From Los Angeles Times

The researchers analyzed historical documents that mentioned peaches, such as the travel writings of French missionary explorer Jacques Marquette and English merchant Jonathan Dickinson.

From Science Daily

A coalition of French mayors has called for an end to a deal that allows UK immigration checks to be carried out before crossing the English Channel.

From BBC

Speaking in fluent English, Amorim seemed to relish the opportunity to articulate how he is feeling.

From BBC