Where does “England” come from?
England derives from Middle English Engelond, from Old English Engla land meaning "land of the Angles," combining Old English land from Proto-Germanic landą and ultimately Proto-Indo-European lendʰ-.
England (English): The territory of the Angles and (later) Anglo-Saxons in Britain at any given time before the founding of the Kingdom of England, or the territory of the English people at any given time, in either the Kingdom of England or the United Kingdom
Definitions
- The territory of the Angles and (later) Anglo-Saxons in Britain at any given time before the founding of the Kingdom of England, or the territory of the English people at any given time, in either the Kingdom of England or the United Kingdom
Ancestry of “England”, step by step
England traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English Engelond
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | Engelond | — |
| 2 | Old English | Engla land | land of the Angles |
| 3 | Old English | land | land; a country; region within a country:... |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | land | land, area of ground |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | landą | land, area of ground |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lendʰ- | land, heath; loins |
via Old English Englaland
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old English | Englaland | — |