British isles

/ˌbɹɪ.tɪʃ ˈaɪlz/ name

name ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    An archipelago of Northern Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, Anglesey, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Hebrides, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, the Isles of Scilly, the Channel Islands and many smaller islands.

Synonyms

All synonyms
isles

Etymology

From British (“relating to Britons, Britain, or the Britains”) + isles (“islands”). Compare Ancient Greek Βρεττανίδες νῆσοι (Brettanídes nêsoi) and Latin Britannicae insulae (“British islands”).

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