Great Britain: Meaning and Definition of

Great" Brit'ain

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. an island of NW Europe, separated from the mainland by the English Channel and the North Sea: since 1707 the name has applied politically to England, Scotland, and Wales. 46,417,600; 88,139 sq. mi. (228,280 sq. km). Cf. United Kingdom.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.