Albion

Albion, ancient and literary name of Britain

Albion (ăl`bēən), ancient and literary name of Britain. It is usually restricted to England and is perhaps derived from the Latin albus meaning "white," referring to the chalk cliffs of S England.

---

Albion, city, United States

Albion, industrial city (1990 pop. 10,066), Calhoun co., S Mich., at the forks of the Kalamazoo River; inc. 1855. In an agricultural area, it produces corn, wheat, soybeans, onions, apples, hogs, cattle, and poultry. Among its manufactures are construction materials and industrial products. Albion College was established in 1835; the city developed around it.

---

Albion

Archaic or poetic Britain or England

---

Albion

poetic name for England. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 19]

See : Britain

---

Albion

son of Neptune and ancestor of England. [Br. Lit.: Faerie Queene]

See : Giantism

---

Albion

a word of Celtic origin, the most ancient name of the British Isles. It was used by the ancient Greeks, in particular by Ptolemy, and later came into use in ancient Roman literature. As used in Britain today the term “Albion” has an exalted meaning. In other countries it is used with a slightly ironic connotation. In Russian prerevolutionary literature the term “perfidious Albion” was often used to denote the hypocrisy of British diplomacy.