Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Sawney

British  
/ ˈsɔːnɪ /

noun

  1. a derogatory word for Scotsman

  2. informal (also not capital) a fool

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Sawney

C18: a Scots variant of Sandy, short for Alexander


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.

See Examples For:

Due to the pressure of the local "Wets," "Old Sawney," an ardent Prohibitionist, found it expedient to move.

From Time Magazine Archive

Seating his boys in order from ace to dunce, Old Sawney fired questions down the line.

From Time Magazine Archive

Old Sawney soaked his listeners thoroughly in the Bible, boasted he could find a Biblical parallel for any problem.

From Time Magazine Archive

Said Sawney: "I would rather make my living plowing on a steep, rocky hillside with a blind mule than imprison innocent children."

From Time Magazine Archive

A young man about Madison’s age named Sawney went with him.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember new words for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com