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Meaning of Sassenach in English:

Sassenach

Pronunciation /ˈsasənax/ /ˈsasənak/

Translate Sassenach into Spanish

noun

derogatory Scottish, Irish

  • An English person.

    • ‘I think a complete break-up of the union would be foolish for all of us, Sassenachs and Scots alike.’
    • ‘Imagine the same holding true for the Scottish parliament, which has a fair contingent of Sassenachs.’
    • ‘With only some 15,000 players aged between eight and 18 to England's quarter of a million, Scotland do not have the kind of conveyor belt that the Sassenachs so often enjoy.’
    • ‘Scotland have had worse beatings at the hands of the Sassenachs than they sustained last weekend, but few which left one so depressed.’
    • ‘Scotland had myths and legends and painted people; in exchange for money it gave the Sassenachs romance.’
    • ‘The Daily Record, The Scotsman and the Sunday Herald are all headed by pure-bred Sassenachs.’
    • ‘Like a comforting bedtime story, we Sassenachs cannot hear it repeated enough.’
    • ‘For the TV version the radio cast was swelled by two Sassenachs, and the result was a fast-moving, irreverent and lively production that featured a number of recurring characters and situations.’
    • ‘For no particular reason I thought it maybe was time for the clans to rally round and attack the sassy Sassenachs south of the border.’
    • ‘He is of course, a Scots Nationalist, who wants to free his country from the colonial grip of the Sassenachs.’
    • ‘Also, American audiences and Sassenachs will be bemused by the strong accents.’

adjective

derogatory Scottish, Irish

  • English.

    • ‘It leaves the typical member of the Glasgow professional class with a distinct but wholly comprehensible (to Sassenach ears) Scottish accent.’
    • ‘The media community is reluctant to admit that Sassenach papers could overtake the homegrown product.’
    • ‘Indeed, at one point, with only six men, they drove the eight-strong Sassenach pack back with a splendidly concerted shove.’

Origin

Mid 18th century (as a noun): from Scottish Gaelic Sasunnoch, Irish Sasanach, from Latin Saxones ‘Saxons’.