Sassenach

pronunciation

How to pronounce Sassenach in British English: UK [ˈsæsənæk; ˈsæsənæx]word uk audio image

How to pronounce Sassenach in American English: US [ ˈsæsənæk,ˈsæsənæx] word us audio image

  • Noun:
    the Scots' term for an English person

Word Origin

sassenach
sassenach: [18] Sassenach, the Gaelic name for the English, etymologically means ‘Saxon’. Its ultimate source is probably Saxonēs, the Latin version of Seaxe, which was the Old English term for the Saxon people. The Celts of Scotland took this over as Sasunnoch, the Irish as Sasanach, and the Welsh as Seisnig. The English form of the word appears to have been established by Sir Walter Scott in the early 19th century.=> saxon
Sassenach (n.)
Gaelic for "English person," 1771, Sassenaugh, literally "Saxon," from Gaelic Sasunnach, from Latin Saxones, from a Germanic source (such as Old English Seaxe "the Saxons;" see Saxon). The modern form of the word was established c. 1814 by Sir Walter Scott, from Scottish Sasunnoch, Irish Sasanach, Welsh Seisnig.