English derives from the Old English englisċ, originating in the 5th century from the WestGermanic tribes known as the Angles, originally referring to their language and culture.
Definition
Relating to England or its people or language.
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Old Englishc. 450-1100well-attested
From Old English "Englisc" (of or relating to the Angles), from "Engle" (the Angles), the Germanic tribe that migrated from the Angul peninsula (modern Schleswig-Holstein, Germany/Denmark border) to Britain in the 5th century CE. The tribal name "Angle" likely derives from Proto-Germanic *angulaz (hook, fish-hook), referring to the hook-shaped geography of the Angul peninsula, from PIE *h₂enk- (to bend, curve). This sameroot yields Latin
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The term 'English' originally referred to the language of the Angles but has since evolved to encompass the language spoken in England and its global variants. The word also reflects the historical influence of the Angles on the cultural and linguistic landscape of Britain.
language. The shift from tribal ethnonym to national and linguistic identity was largely complete by the time of the Danelaw period, when "English" served to distinguish the native Germanic speakers from the Norse settlers. Key roots: *anglō (Proto-Germanic: "the Angles, a Germanic tribe").