England
/ˈɪŋɡlənd/
noun
Origin
Old English
Engle — The Angles (a Germanic tribe)
Overview
Meaning Now
- A country that is part of the United Kingdom, located on the island of Great Britain.
Literal older meaning
Land of the Angles
Language path
Proto-Germanic → Old English → Modern English
Earliest form
Engla land
Earliest period
10th century
Journey
The name refers to the Angles, a Germanic people who migrated from the Angeln region (in modern-day Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) to Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries, eventually merging with other groups like the Saxons and Jutes.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*Angli
“The Angles”
Possibly derived from a root meaning 'hook' (referring to the shape of the Angeln peninsula).
- Old English
Engla land
“Land of the Angles”
Used to distinguish the territory settled by Angles from that of the Saxons.
- Middle English
Engelond
“England”
Loss of the genitive plural marker '-a'.
- Modern English
England
“England”
Standardized modern spelling.
Connections
Word parts
Engl
root
The Angles
land
root
territory or country
Related across languages
German
Angeln
Region in Schleswig-Holstein
Related words
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Related to England
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.