Sassenach

[ sas-uh-nuhkh, -nak ]

noun

, Often Disparaging.

1. a term used by the Gaelic inhabitants of the British Isles to refer to the English inhabitants.

Sassenach

/ ˈsæsəˌnæk; -næx /

noun

1. an English person or a Lowland Scot

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sassenach¹

1765–75; < Scots Gaelic Sasunnach, Irish Sasanach English, English person, Protestant, Middle Irish Saxanach, derivative of Saxain, Sagsuin, Sachsain the Saxons, England ≪ Late Latin Saxonēs; Saxon

Word History and Origins

Origin of Sassenach¹

C18: from Scot Gaelic Sasunnach, Irish Sasanach, from Late Latin saxonēs Saxons

Example Sentences

You also have a whisky called Sassenach, the name of which will be familiar to “Outlander” fans.

From New York Times

Had they come, with typical Sassenach cunning, so as to take King Lot in the rear?

From Literature

Its institutions, from Parliament to its diplomatic corps and the BBC, remain dominated by Sassenachs.

From Economist

The less polite muttered under their breath about the “bloody Sassenachs.”

From Salon

But Scottish nationalism also has deep emotional roots. The vote marks the culmination of decades—nay, centuries—of campaigning for independence by Scots who dislike being ruled by the Sassenachs.

From The New Yorker