Brexit
Meanings
- Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.
- To exit the European Union.
- To exit, to leave (e.g. a romantic relationship).
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Etymology tree Ancient Greek Βρεττανός (Brettanós) Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-i-eh₂ Proto-Hellenic *-íā Ancient Greek -ίᾱ (-íā) Ancient Greek Βρεττανία (Brettanía)bor. Latin Britannia Anglo-Norman Britainebor. Middle English Britayne English Britain Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰ Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₁éǵʰs Proto-Italic *eks Latin ex Latin ex- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti Proto-Italic *ejō Proto-Italic *eō Latin eō Latin exeō Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin exitusder. Middle English exit English exit blend English Brexit Blend of Britain + exit, formed by analogy with Grexit. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the earliest attested use is on 15 May 2012 in a Euractiv blog post by Peter Wilding titled “Stumbling towards the Brexit”, formed by analogy with Grexit, coined on 6 February 2012.