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Albion comes from early Celtic rather than Latin. Originally naming all of Britain it changed at some point to refer to just Scotland, and gave the modern Scots
by NeedMoreTea 7y ago
Albion comes from early Celtic rather than Latin. Originally naming all of Britain it changed at some point to refer to just Scotland, and gave the modern Scots Gaelic of Alba for Scotland.
- seszett 7y agoDoes Albion really mean Scotland in English? It means England in French.
- smcl 7y agoThere's no real common modern usage of "Albion" except in the name of football teams (West Bromwich Albion, Albion Rovers, Stirling Albion) - so it doesn't really mean one more than the other in English. Some people might say it comes from an old celtic word and therefore refers to Scotland, others might say it's from Latin and refers to England or the whole island of Britain. I've no idea which is "right" but the word just doesn't come up in everyday English.
- NeedMoreTea 7y agoAside from the football teams mentioned, just about the only context you may hear Albion is occasionally old poetry and literature, or the famous 18th or 19th century French use of "Perfidious Albion". It morphed into the modern Alba for Scotland, stemming from the same source, but I'm not sure quite of the overlap from Albion to Alba.
- alberto_ol 7y agoAccording to this source it comes likely from latin https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=Albion+ https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=Albion+
- NeedMoreTea 7y agoInteresting, I stand corrected. OED says it comes from Old English, from Latin, probably of Celtic origin, and also make mention of albus... That may be their bets being hedged. :)