Etymograph

English

sassenach

Sassenach comes from Scottish Gaelic Sasannach ‘Saxon’, from Middle Irish Saxain ‘England’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sek-‘to cut’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sahsą‘dagger, knife’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sahs‘dagger, knife’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*Sahsō‘a Saxon’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CESaxō‘Saxon’
  6. Old Irishc. 600–900Saxain‘Saxons’
  7. Middle Irishc. 900–1200same form‘England’
  8. Middle Irish, derivedc. 900–1200Saxanach‘Saxon, English (nationality)’
  9. Scottish GaelicmodernSasannach‘Saxon’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1922sassenach

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sek-‘to cut’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*sahsą‘dagger, knife’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*sahs‘dagger, knife’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*Sahsō‘a Saxon’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CESaxō‘Saxon’
  6. Old Irishc. 600–900Saxain‘Saxons’
  7. Middle Irishc. 900–1200same form‘England’
  8. Middle Irish, derivedc. 900–1200Saxanach‘Saxon, English (nationality)’
  9. Scottish GaelicmodernSasannach‘Saxon’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1922sassenach

Earliest quotation: 1922, James Joyce, [Episode 12: The Cyclops]: “But the Sassenach tried to starve the nation at…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *sek- ‘to cut’

design, saw, sign, risk, sex, ship, section, sexual, seal, segment, scarlet, insect, sack, sawyer, sickle, het, shingle, scythe, dissect, sich, sigil, desiccation, sedge, seg, desiccant, sain, brassica, 61 more

through Proto-West Germanic *sahs ‘dagger, knife’

sax, 1 more

Today it means

noun An English person.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *sek- / sassenach

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