Albion

Meaning

Proper Noun

• England (or sometimes the British Isles).
• Any of several places in the United States:
• West Bromwich Albion Football Club, a football team from West Bromwich, and Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., a football team from Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, UK

Origin

• Ancient Gallo-Latin name for Britain, Albiōn (Middle Welsh Albbu, Old Irish Albu), is from Proto-Celtic *Albiū, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *albʰós ("white"), whence also Latin albus and Ancient Greek ἀλφός. The primary meaning of the Common Celtic word is "upper world" (as opposed to underworld), with semasiological development similar to e.g. Russian свет.
• It is often hypothesised that the Romans took it as connected with albus, in reference to the white cliffs of Dover.