sassenach en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈsas.ə.nax/ (Scotland)
- /ˈsæs.ə.næk/ (England)
Etymology
Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic Sasannach (“Saxon”).
Meanings
-
(Scotland, derogatory) An English person.
'I distinctly heard the barman at that pub last night refer to us as Sassenachs.' 'Well, why not?' said Frank equably. 'It only means "Englishman", after all, or at worst, outsider and we're all of that.' 'I know what it means. It was the tone I objected to.'
1991, Diana Gabaldon, chapter 1, in Outlander, London: Random House:
-
(Scotland, derogatory) A Lowland Scot.
But the Sassenach tried to starve the nation at home while the land was full of crops that the British hyenas bought and sold in Rio de Janeiro.
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sassenach | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sasanach | alternative | lexicographic | |
| sassenachs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Translations (4)
pl Angol (English person) · de Lowlander (Lowland Scot) · de Engländer (English person) · de Tieflandschotte (Lowland Scot)