britannico
/briˈtan.ni.ko/
The English adjective "british" is translated into Italian as britannico.
britannico is used as an adjective meaning "of Britain". It can also be used as a noun, in the form britannici, to refer to the citizens or inhabitants of Britain or the United Kingdom.
Meaning: of Britain (adj)
Which one should you use?
Use britannico when referring to Britain as a whole. If you wish to refer specifically to England, you should use inglese instead.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective changes its ending based on the gender and number of the noun it modifies. Use britannica for feminine singular nouns, britannici for masculine plural nouns or groups of people and britanniche for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/briˈtan.ni.ko/. The word has 4 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- While britannico is the official term for the UK, Italians often use inglese to describe anything from the British Isles, including people from Scotland or Wales.
- The word britannico is a direct descendant of the Latin britannicus, which in turn came from the Ancient Greek βρεττανικός.
- In historical contexts, such as discussing the Roman Empire, britannico refers to the province of Britannia, which covered a different area than the modern UK.
Examples in context
- È un accento britannico.It's a British accent.This sentence shows how to use britannico with the word accent.Tatoeba #8584670 by Guybrush88, translation #5951583 by mailohilohi
- Tom ha un accento britannico.Tom has a British accent.This sentence demonstrates the use of britannico when describing an accent.Tatoeba #4585504 by softtoffol, translation #1904469 by CK
- Non capisco l'umorismo britannico.I don't understand British humour.This sentence illustrates using britannico to describe humor.Tatoeba #1655388 by Guybrush88, translation #1655366 by Spamster
- I diplomati inglesi hanno partecipato alla conferenza in Italia.The British diplomats attended the conference in Italy.
- Gli scienziati britannici hanno effettuato ricerche approfondite.The British scientists conducted thorough research.
- Ho conosciuto un ragazzo inglese in vacanza.I met a British guy on vacation.
- 32 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Chiara are discussing a friend's passport at a café.
- AlessandroHai visto il passaporto britannico di Mark?Have you seen Mark's British passport?
- ChiaraNo, non l'ho ancora visto.No, I haven't seen it yet.
- AlessandroÈ un documento britannico molto importante.It is a very important British document.
- ChiaraAllora lo cercherò subito.Then I will look for it immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “british” translations and entries britannico, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries britannico, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
