What is "english"

English \Eng"lish\, n.

1. Collectively, the people of England; English people or persons.

2. The language of England or of the English nation, and of their descendants in America, India, and other countries.

   Note: The English language has been variously divided into periods by different writers. In the division most commonly recognized, the first period dates from about 450 to 1150. This is the period of full inflection, and is called Anglo-Saxon, or, by many recent writers, Old English. The second period dates from about 1150 to 1550 (or, if four periods be recognized, from about 1150 to 1350), and is called Early English, Middle English, or more commonly (as in the usage of this book), Old English. During this period most of the inflections were dropped, and there was a great addition of French words to the language. The third period extends from about 1350 to 1550, and is Middle English. During this period orthography became comparatively fixed. The last period, from about 1550, is called Modern English.

3. A kind of printing type, in size between Pica and Great Primer. See Type.

   Note: The type called English.

4. (Billiards) A twist or spinning motion given to a ball in striking it that influences the direction it will take after touching a cushion or another ball.

   The King's English or The Queen's English. See under King.

English \Eng"lish\, a. [AS. Englisc, fr. Engle, Angle, Engles, Angles, a tribe of Germans from the southeast of Sleswick, in Denmark, who settled in Britain and gave it the name of England. Cf. Anglican.] Of or pertaining to England, or to its inhabitants, or to the present so-called Anglo-Saxon race.

English bond (Arch.) See 1st Bond, n., 8.

English breakfast tea. See Congou.

English horn. (Mus.) See Corno Inglese.

English walnut. (Bot.) See under Walnut.

English \Eng"lish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Englished; p. pr. & vb. n. Englishing.]

1. To translate into the English language; to Anglicize; hence, to interpret; to explain.

   Those gracious acts . . . may be Englished more properly, acts of fear and dissimulation.
   --Milton.

   Caxton does not care to alter the French forms and words in the book which he was Englishing.
   --T. L. K. Oliphant.

2. (Billiards) To strike (the cue ball) in such a manner as to give it in addition to its forward motion a spinning motion, that influences its direction after impact on another ball or the cushion. [U.S.]

"to translate into English," late 14c., from English (n.1) in the language sense. Related: Englished; englishing.

"the people of England; the speech of England," noun use of Old English adjective Englisc (contrasted to Denisc, Frencisce, etc.), "of or pertaining to the Angles," from Engle (plural) "the Angles," the name of one of the Germanic groups that overran the island 5c., supposedly so-called because Angul, the land they inhabited on the Jutland coast, was shaped like a fish hook (see angle (n.)). Reinforced by Anglo-French engleis. Cognates: Dutch Engelsch, German Englisch, Danish Engelsk, French Anglais (Old French Engelsche), Spanish Inglés, Italian Inglese.\n

\nEnglisc was used from earliest times without distinction for all the Germanic invaders -- Angles, Saxon, Jutes (Bede's gens Anglorum) -- and applied to their group of related languages by Alfred the Great. "The name English for the language is thus older than the name England for the country" [OED]. After 1066, of the native population of England (as distinguished from Normans and French occupiers), a distinction which lasted about a generation. But as late as Robert of Gloucester's "Chronicle" (c.1300) it also was sometimes distinguished from "Saxon" ("Þe englisse in þe norþ half, þe saxons bi souþe").\n\n"... when Scots & others are likely to be within earshot, Britain & British should be inserted as tokens, but no more, of what is really meant" [Fowler] \nIn pronunciation, "En-" has become "In-," perhaps through the frequency of -ing- words and the relative rarity of -e- before -ng- in the modern language, but the older spelling has remained. Meaning "English language or literature as a subject at school" is from 1889. Old English meaning the Anglo-Saxon language before the Conquest is attested from c.1200 in an account of the native (as opposed to Latin) month names.

"spin imparted to a ball" (as in billiards), 1860, from French anglé "angled" (see angle (n.)), which is similar to Anglais "English."

Old English, "belonging to the English people;" late 13c., "belonging to England," from English (n.1). The adverb Englishly (mid-15c.) is rare.

n. (context US English) Spinning or rotary motion given to a ball around the vertical axis, as in billiards or bowling.

English may refer to:

• Something of, from, or related to the country of England
  • English people, an ethnic group of people native to England
  • English national identity, an identity and common culture
  • English language
    • English studies, the study of English language and literature
    • English language in England, a variant of the English language
    • List of dialects of the English language
• English, Indiana, town in USA
• English, Kentucky, an unincorporated community
• English (surname), a list of notable people with the surname English
• English (film), a 2013 Indian Malayalam film
• English (cue sports term)
• English, a query language developed by Microdata Corporation
• English, an Amish term for non-Amish, regardless of ethnicity

English is a surname. Notable persons with that surname include:

• Alex English, American basketball player
• Arthur English, English actor and comedian
• Ben English, English porn actor
• Bill English, New Zealand politician
• Bill English (actor), American actor
• CariDee English, American model
• Carl English, Canadian basketball player
• Diane English, American film director
• Felix English, British-born Irish racing cyclist
• George W. English, US District Court judge
• Gerald English, English-Australian singer
• Glenn English, US politician
• Isaac English (born 1971), Scottish footballer
• Jack English (disambiguation)
• Jake English, fictional character in the web-comic Homestuck
• James E. English, American politician
• Jane English (born 1942), American physicist, photographer, journalist and translator
• Jane English (born 1940), Arkansas politician
• Joe English (loyalist), Northern Irish activist
• Joe English (musician), American musician
• Joe English (painter), Flemish painter
• John A. English, Canadian academic and soldier
• John English (Australian politician) (born 1962)
• John English (Canadian politician) (born 1945), Canadian historian and politician
• John English (director) (1903–1965), British film director
• John English (ice hockey), Canadian former NHL player
• Johnny English (fictional character), fictional British spy in the Johnny English film series
• Jon English (born 1949), Australian singer and actor
• Karan English, US politician
• Kim English, American singer
• Logan English, American folk singer, poet and actor
• Mark English (athlete), Irish middle-distance runner
• Michael English (singer), American singer
• Mitch English, American talk show host
• Nicky English, Irish hurler
• Phil English, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania
• Richard English, Northern Irish historian
• Robert D. English, American historian
• Robert Henry English, American admiral
• Ron English (American football), American football coach
• Ron English (artist), American artist
• Thomas Dunn English, American Democratic Party politician, author and songwriter
• Tony English, English footballer
• William English (computer engineer), computer engineer who contributed to the development of the computer mouse
• William E. English (1850–1926), U.S. Representative from Indiana, son of William Hayden English
• William Hayden English (1822–1896), American politician
• William John English (VC) (1882–1941), Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross
• Woody English, American baseball player