Brexit

[ breg-zit, brek-sit ]

noun

1. the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from membership in the European Union.
2. the nonbinding national referendum in 2016 that resulted in a vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Brexit¹

First recorded in 2012; (originally also spelled Brixit , referencing Britain's possible withdrawal); Br(itain) ( def ) or Br(itish) ( def ) + exit ¹( def ); probably patterned on Grexit ( def ), which dates from earlier that year