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English Very Common

English has 11 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Adjective · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries

"English is widely spoken as a global lingua franca due to its status as the official language of many Commonwealth nations."

2

the people of England

"The english have long been fascinated by their island's rich history and diverse landscapes."

3

the discipline that studies the English language and literature

"Many students choose to major in english at university because they are passionate about analyzing classic novels and linguistic structures."

4

(sports) the spin given to a ball by striking it on one side or releasing it with a sharp twist

"The batsman managed his shot well, playing straight back down the pitch despite the heavy english off the seam."

5

The people of England; Englishmen and Englishwomen.

"The player applied heavy english to the cue ball before striking it toward the corner pocket."

6

Spinning or rotary motion given to a ball around the vertical axis, as in billiards or bowling.

In plain English: English is the main language spoken by people from England and many other countries around the world.

"She hopes to improve her spoken English by watching movies with subtitles."

Verb
1

To translate, adapt or render into English.

"The translator spent all night to english the French novel so it could be published in London."

In plain English: To english something means to make it look clean and shiny by polishing off all the dirt and scratches.

"She decided to english her way through the difficult section on the climbing wall."

Adjective
1

of or relating to or characteristic of England or its culture or people

"English history"

"the English landed aristocracy"

"English literature"

2

of or relating to the English language

"The teacher asked students to practice their english by reading aloud from the book."

3

Of or pertaining to England.

"The english tradition of afternoon tea originated in London during the nineteenth century."

In plain English: English describes something that comes from England, is related to its people, language, culture, or history.

"The English teacher asked us to read the story aloud in class."

Proper Noun
1

The language originating in England but now spoken in all parts of the British Isles, the Commonwealth of Nations, North America, and other parts of the world.

"English is a global language that originated in England and is now spoken across the British Isles, the Commonwealth of Nations, North America, and many other regions around the world."

Example Sentences
"The English teacher asked us to read the story aloud in class." adj
"She hopes to improve her spoken English by watching movies with subtitles." noun
"She decided to english her way through the difficult section on the climbing wall." verb
See Also
language our our language thoroughbred literature ball billard bethlehemite
Related Terms
language our our language thoroughbred literature ball billard bethlehemite negerhollands indiana spanglish cumberland sausage magna carta hiberno english jacky bodle snowdon red leicester pinglish donnean
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
West Germanic nation humanistic discipline spin
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
American English cockney geordie King's English Received Pronunciation Middle English Modern English Old English Oxford English Scottish

Origin

The word comes from Middle English and originally meant "of the Angles," referring to a specific Germanic tribe. It is formed by combining the name of that tribe with a suffix meaning "-ish."

Rhyming Words
ish hish lish tish mish eish rish nish dish bish pish fish kish aish wish gish irish ajish ilish swish
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