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Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary En·glish
ETYMOLOGY Middle English, from Old English englisc, from Engle (plural) Angles DATE before 12th century : of, relating to, or characteristic of England, the English people, or the English language • En·glish·ness noun
noun DATE before 12th century 1. a. the language of the people of England and the United States and many areas now or formerly under British control b. a particular variety of English distinguished by peculiarities (as of pronunciation) c. English language, literature, or composition when a subject of study 2. plural in construction : the people of England 3. a. an English translation b. idiomatic or intelligible English 4. spin around the vertical axis deliberately imparted to a ball that is driven or rolled — compare draw , follow , body English
transitive verb DATE 14th century 1. to translate into English 2. to adopt into English : anglicize English Etymology English 1. English (1) "people or speech of England," O.E. Englisc, from Engle (pl.) "the Angles," one of the Gmc. groups that overran the island 5c., supposedly so-called because Angul, the land they inhabited on the Jutland coast, was shaped like a fish hook (but how could they know this from the ground?). The term was used from earliest times without distinction for all the Gmc. invaders -- Angles, Saxon, Jutes (Bede's gens Anglorum) -- and applied to their group of related languages by Alfred the Great. In pronunciation, "En-" has become "In-," but the older spelling has remained. Meaning "English language or literature as a subject at school" is from 1889. 2. English (2) "spin imparted to a ball" (as in billiards), 1860, from Fr.anglé "angled," which is similar to Anglais "English." Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary-牛津双解-OALD7 English Eng·lish / 5iN^liF / noun1. [U, C] the language, originally of England, now spoken in many other countries and used as a language of international communication throughout the world 英语；英文: She speaks good English. 她英语说得很好。 I need to improve my English. 我须要提高我的英语水平。 world Englishes 世界各地的英语 2. [U] English language or literature as a subject of study 英语语言；英语科: a degree in English 英语学位 English is my best subject. 英语是我学得最好的一门科目。 3. the English [pl.] the people of England (sometimes wrongly used to mean the British, including the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish) 英格兰人(有时误用以指包括苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰人在内的英国人) IDIOMS ⇨ see plain adj. adjective connected with England, its people or its language 英格兰的；英格兰人的；英语的: the English countryside 英格兰乡村 an English man / woman 英格兰男人/妇女 typically English attitudes 典型的英国式态度 an English dictionary 英语词典 ⇨ note at British Oxford Collocations Dictionary for Students of English English noun ADJ. plain You'd have no trouble understanding his point if he'd written the article in plain English! | spoken, written | American, British, Indian, etc. | BBC, the Queen's | Early, Middle, Modern, Old • Note at LANGUAGE (for more collocates) Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged en·glish I. \ˈi]ŋglish, -lēsh also ]ŋl- sometimes ˈe]\ adjective Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: Middle English, from Old English englisc, from Engle, plural, Angles + -isc -ish 1. : of or from England : of the kind or style prevalent in England < English earth > < fine English tailoring > < English customs > — often used in English-speaking areas outside the British isles to identify that one of two or more kinds of plant or animal sharing a common vernacular to which the vernacular is applied in England without regard to actual prevalence or origin < English catchfly > < English cherry wood > 2. : of, relating to, or characteristic of the English language < beauties of English expression > < English studies > < a literal English translation > < vagaries of the English colloquial idiom > 3. : british II. noun (-es ; see sense 2) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English englisc, from englisc, adjective 1. capitalized a. : the language of the people of England and the United States and most of the British colonies and dominions — see anglo-saxon , middle english, old english, indo-european languages table b. : a particular variety of English (as that characteristic of a nation, locality, class of people, or an individual) distinguished by peculiarities (as of pronunciation, vocabulary, idiom, syntax, or style) < speaking a beautiful precise English > < the archaic English that often lingers in isolated communities > < the comparative informality of American English > < the English of the gutter > c. : English language, literature, or composition or a part thereof regarded as a field of study or teaching < most colleges require all freshmen to take a course in English > < he found English a difficult subject > 2. plural in construction, capitalized : the people of England; especially : native Englishmen irrespective of residence < the chill formality of the English is no more than a caricaturist's generalization > < the English and their tea are matched by the Swedes and their coffee > 3. usually capitalized a. : an English translation or rendering : the English equivalent (as of a foreign word) < tell me the English for gluteus > sometimes : crib , pony b. : idiomatic or intelligible English; often : the plain sense of something obscure, involved, technical, or pedantic < give me the English of it > — compare greek 2 c4. often capitalized : an old size of type approximately 2 points larger than pica 5. usually capitalized : a spinning or rotary motion round the vertical axis given to a ball by striking it to the right or left of its center (as in pool) or by releasing it in such a way as to produce this rotary motion (as in bowling) — called also side III. \“, chiefly in pres part -ləsh\ verb (-ed/-ing/-es) Usage: often capitalized Etymology: Middle English englishen, from english, adjective & noun transitive verb 1. : to translate into English < regretfully spent his holiday englishing 500 lines of Virgil > 2. obsolete : to interpret or set forth plainly < those gracious acts … may be Englished, more properly, acts of fear and dissimulation — John Milton > 3. : to adopt into English : anglicize < our language expands chiefly by coining new words and englishing the words already in other languages > intransitive verb : to be translatable into English IV. adverb Usage: usually capitalized Etymology: english (I) obsolete : englishly |
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