Meaning & use
sassenach
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountableScottishinformaldisapproving
A Scottish or Irish term for an English person, sometimes teasing and sometimes unfriendly.
Grammar: Usually spoken by Scots about English people; tone decides how rude it is.
Patterns
- a Sassenach
The Highlanders laughed and called the tourist a Sassenach.
He joked that his wife was a Sassenach from Kent.
In the old song, the Sassenach is the enemy.
adjectivebefore a nounScottishhumorous
Of or relating to the English, especially as seen by Scots.
Grammar: Used attributively and often humorous or dated.
Patterns
- a Sassenach accent
He spoke with a Sassenach accent that made the locals smile.
The village had little time for Sassenach landlords.
She wore a Sassenach hat to the Highland games.
Word forms
| plural | Sassenachs |
|---|
Common combinations
- a Sassenach
- He was teased as a Sassenach in the pub.
- call someone a Sassenach
- They called the newcomer a Sassenach.
- Sassenach landlord
- The poem attacks the Sassenach landlord.
- Sassenach tongue
- She refused to speak the Sassenach tongue.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Englishman
- Englishman is neutral, while Sassenach carries a Scottish perspective and often a tease.
- outlander
- Outlander means any outsider, not specifically an English person.
- southerner
- Southerner is neutral and describes where someone comes from, not mockery.
- Anglo
- Anglo is a short, informal word and not specific to Scotland.
Opposites
Word family
- Saxon noun
- the word's origin, an early English-speaking people
- Sassenachs noun
- plural form
- Gaelic adjective
- the language from which the word came
Commonly confused: sassenach or Saxon?
sassenach vs Saxon
Saxon names a historic Germanic people; Sassenach is a modern word derived from it.
Practice
In Scotland, a playful way to call an English visitor is a ___.
Choose one answer.
Sassenach means an English person from a Scottish view. Highlander, Gael and Pict refer to Scottish groups.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sassenach”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.