Anglo-Saxon
Americannoun
-
an English person of the period before the Norman Conquest.
-
the original Germanic element in the English language.
-
plain and simple English, especially language that is blunt, monosyllabic, and often rude or vulgar.
-
a person whose native language is English.
-
a person of English descent.
-
(in the U.S.) a person of colonial descent or British origin.
adjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of the Anglo-Saxons.
-
of or relating to Anglo-Saxon.
-
English-speaking; British or American.
-
(of words, speech, or writing) blunt, monosyllabic, and often vulgar.
noun
-
a member of any of the West Germanic tribes (Angles, Saxons, and Jutes) that settled in Britain from the 5th century ad and were dominant until the Norman conquest
-
the language of these tribes See Old English
-
any White person whose native language is English and whose cultural affiliations are those common to Britain and the US
-
informal plain blunt English, esp English containing taboo words
adjective
-
forming part of the Germanic element in Modern English
``forget'' is an Anglo-Saxon word
-
of or relating to the Anglo-Saxons or the Old English language
-
of or relating to the White Protestant culture of Britain, Australia, and the US
-
informal (of English speech or writing) plain and blunt
-
of or relating to Britain and the US, esp their common legal, political, and commercial cultures, as compared to continental Europe
Etymology
Origin of Anglo-Saxon
1605–15; based on New Latin, Medieval Latin Anglo-Saxōnēs, Anglī Saxōnēs (plural); from 10th cent., collective name for WGmc-speaking people of Britain (compare Old English Angulseaxan ); see Angle, Saxon
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
England’s Midlands region was once the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026
French museums will in exchange be loaned ancient treasures mainly from the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo site, one of England's most important archaeological locations.
From Barron's • Jan. 15, 2026
In exchange, British treasures including artefacts from Anglo-Saxon burial mounds at Sutton Hoo and 12th Century Lewis chess pieces are being loaned to museums in Normandy.
From BBC • Jan. 14, 2026
It dates from Anglo-Saxon England, prior to the Norman invasion of 1066 — from a time when many punishments for crime were monetary.
From Salon • Sep. 20, 2025
Specimens of Anglo-Saxon, and the same literally translated into Modern English.
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
