Briticism

[ brit-uh-siz-uhm ]

noun
  1. a word, idiom, or phrase characteristic of or restricted to British English, especially as compared with American English, as lift compared with elevator or in hospital with in the hospital.

Origin of Briticism

1
1865–70, Americanism;British + -ism, with -ic for -ish on the model of Gallicism, etc.

Words Nearby Briticism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Briticism in a sentence

  • To use a Briticism, it was “cruel”; the corresponding Americanism was more appropriate—it was “fierce.”

  • This phrase, of course, is a Briticism, and seldom used in America.

    The American Language | Henry L. Mencken
  • In the one case the Briticism is the shorter, and in the other the Americanism.

    Americanisms and Briticisms | Brander Matthews
  • Sometimes the difference between the Americanism and Briticism is very slight.

    Americanisms and Briticisms | Brander Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for Briticism

Briticism

/ (ˈbrɪtɪˌsɪzəm) /


noun
  1. a custom, linguistic usage, or other feature peculiar to Britain or its people

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012