Anglo-Saxon

[ ang-gloh-sak-suhn ]

noun

1. an English person of the period before the Norman Conquest.
2. Old English ( def 1 ).
3. the original Germanic element in the English language.
4. plain and simple English, especially language that is blunt, monosyllabic, and often rude or vulgar.
5. a person whose native language is English.
6. a person of English descent.
7. (in the U.S.) a person of colonial descent or British origin.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Anglo-Saxons.
2. of or relating to Anglo-Saxon.
3. English-speaking; British or American.
4. (of words, speech, or writing) blunt, monosyllabic, and often vulgar.

Anglo-Saxon

noun

1. 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
2. See Old English
   the language of these tribes See Old English
3. any White person whose native language is English and whose cultural affiliations are those common to Britain and the US
4. informal.
   plain blunt English, esp English containing taboo words

adjective

1. forming part of the Germanic element in Modern English

   ``forget'' is an Anglo-Saxon word

2. of or relating to the Anglo-Saxons or the Old English language
3. of or relating to the White Protestant culture of Britain, Australia, and the US
4. informal.
   (of English speech or writing) plain and blunt
5. of or relating to Britain and the US, esp their common legal, political, and commercial cultures, as compared to continental Europe

Word History and Origins

Origin of Anglo-Saxon¹

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 ); Angle, Saxon

Example Sentences

So the term Anglo-Saxon has been used to describe a certain purity, but Angles and the Saxons weren’t indigenous to England anyway, which means the idea of pointing to them as “original” misses the larger context.

From Time

The most effective weapon Anglo-Saxon elites have used to preserve power in American society has been the rule of law.

From The Daily Beast

According to an account in The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, written in the 9th century, that failed Viking raid was hardly a one-off.

From The Daily Beast

When Viking invaders tore through 9th-century Europe, only one Anglo-Saxon leader was able to withstand their ferocious onslaught.

From The Daily Beast

Americans with funny names like Kagan or Shapira might also feel that Anglo-Saxon heritage shouldn't be a requirement for office.

From The Daily Beast

Romney also showed diplomatic sense when he declined to play the Anglo-Saxon card earlier brandished by one of his aides.

From The Daily Beast

I suspect the Anglo-Saxon bearo, a grove or copse, is the word here preserved.

From Project Gutenberg

It was not the headlong, reckless, pugnacious rage of the old Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian berserker.

From Project Gutenberg

She is uncompromisingly Anglo-Saxon and lacks that pliability which would endear her to the children of another race.

From Project Gutenberg

You an' me, Hinnissy, has got to bring on this here Anglo-Saxon 'lieance.

From Project Gutenberg

The humor of calling "Anglo-Saxon" the kind of government these gentlemen will give is obvious.

From Project Gutenberg