Sax·on (s k s n)n. 1. A member of a West Germanic tribal group that inhabited northern Germany and invaded Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries a.d. with the Angles and Jutes. 2. A person of English or Lowland Scots birth or descent as distinguished from one of Irish, Welsh, or Highland Scots birth or descent. 3. A native or inhabitant of Saxony. 4. The West Germanic language of any of the ancient Saxon peoples. 5. The Germanic element of English as distinguished from the French and Latin elements. [Middle English, from Late Latin Sax  , Saxon-, of Germanic origin; see sek- in Indo-European roots.]Sax on adj. |
Saxon [ˈsæksən]
n
1. (Social Science / Peoples) (Historical Terms) a member of a West Germanic people who in Roman times spread from Schleswig across NW Germany to the Rhine. Saxons raided and settled parts of S Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries ad In Germany they established a duchy and other dominions, which changed and shifted through the centuries, usually retaining the name Saxony
2. (Social Science / Peoples) a native or inhabitant of Saxony
3. (Linguistics / Languages)
a. the Low German dialect of Saxony
b. any of the West Germanic dialects spoken by the ancient Saxons or their descendants
adj
1. (Social Science / Peoples) of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient Saxons, the Anglo-Saxons, or their descendants
2. (Placename) (Social Science / Peoples) (Linguistics / Languages) (Historical Terms) of, relating to, or characteristic of Saxony, its inhabitants, or their Low German dialect See also West Saxon, Anglo-Saxon
[C13 (replacing Old English Seaxe): via Old French from Late Latin Saxon-, Saxo, from Greek; of Germanic origin and perhaps related to the name of a knife used by the Saxons; compare saw1]
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. |  Saxon - a member of a Germanic people who conquered England and merged with the Angles and Jutes to become Anglo-Saxons; dominant in England until the Norman ConquestEuropean - a native or inhabitant of Europe West Saxon - an inhabitant of Wessex |
| Adj. | 1. | Saxon - of or relating to or characteristic of the early Saxons or Anglo-Saxons and their descendents (especially the English or Lowland Scots) and their language; "Saxon princes"; "for greater clarity choose a plain Saxon term instead of a latinate one" England - a division of the United Kingdom |
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