Britain (placename)

Britain (placename)

The name Britain and the terms British and British Isles are the linguistic descendants (reflexes) of one of the oldest names for an island referred to as Great Britain, its inhabitants and the smaller islands in the vicinity. The name was first reported by Pytheas of Massalia in the 4th century BC. Britain and British are the only ancient names for one or more of these islands to survive in general usage. The name is tribal in origin, referring to a significant population of P-Celtic speakers calling themselves by the earliest known form of British. More anciently, the tribal name is from ancient Proto-Celtic, and most anciently, from words that are Proto-Indo-European.