Anglo-Saxon
Americannoun
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an English person of the period before the Norman Conquest.
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the original Germanic element in the English language.
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plain and simple English, especially language that is blunt, monosyllabic, and often rude or vulgar.
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a person whose native language is English.
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a person of English descent.
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(in the U.S.) a person of colonial descent or British origin.
adjective
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of, relating to, or characteristic of the Anglo-Saxons.
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of or relating to Anglo-Saxon.
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English-speaking; British or American.
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(of words, speech, or writing) blunt, monosyllabic, and often vulgar.
noun
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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
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the language of these tribes See Old English
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any White person whose native language is English and whose cultural affiliations are those common to Britain and the US
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informal plain blunt English, esp English containing taboo words
adjective
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forming part of the Germanic element in Modern English
``forget'' is an Anglo-Saxon word
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of or relating to the Anglo-Saxons or the Old English language
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of or relating to the White Protestant culture of Britain, Australia, and the US
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informal (of English speech or writing) plain and blunt
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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.
Alfred the Great, king of the lone remaining Anglo-Saxon kingdom, held the line and clawed enough land back to eventually rule over about half of England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 8, 2026
The 70m-long Bayeux Tapestry depicts 58 scenes outlining the extraordinary events surrounding the Norman conquest of England, the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the end of Anglo-Saxon rule in Britain.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
The Tapestry narrates how—following the death of England’s king, Edward the Confessor—William, Duke of Normandy, invaded England and defeated the last Anglo-Saxon king, Harold Godwinson, at Hastings, Sussex.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
As part of this cultural diplomatic exchange, the UK is lending France one of the British Museum's prize exhibits - treasures from the Anglo-Saxon Sutton Hoo burial.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The new proslavery argument, then, drew on assumptions about the white Anglo-Saxon character of the emerging American nation that were latent but long-standing.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
