Sasanach

See also: sasanach

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish Saxanach. By surface analysis, Sasana (“England”) +‎ -ach; derived from the Irish word meaning "Saxon" (compare Welsh Saesneg). Doublet of Sacsanach.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈsˠɑsˠən̪ˠəx/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈsˠasˠənˠəx/, /ˈsˠasˠən̪ˠəx/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈsˠasˠənˠa(x)/, /ˈsˠasˠən̪ˠa(x)/

Noun

Sasanach m (genitive singular Sasanaigh, nominative plural Sasanaigh)

1. Englishman, Englishwoman
2. (historical, familiar) Protestant

Declension

Declension of Sasanach

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative Sasanach Sasanaigh Vocative a Shasanaigh a Shasanacha Genitive Sasanaigh Sasanach Dative Sasanach Sasanaigh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an Sasanach na Sasanaigh Genitive an tSasanaigh na Sasanach Dative leis an Sasanach don Sasanach leis na Sasanaigh

Adjective

Sasanach (genitive singular masculine Sasanaigh, genitive singular feminine Sasanaí, plural Sasanacha, not comparable)

1. English

Declension

Declension of Sasanach

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	Sasanach	Shasanach	Sasanacha; Shasanacha²
Vocative	Shasanaigh		Sasanacha
Genitive		Sasanaí	Sasanacha	Sasanach
Dative	Sasanach; Shasanach¹	Shasanach; Shasanaigh (archaic)	Sasanacha; Shasanacha²
Comparative	(not comparable)
Superlative	(not comparable)

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Derived terms

• corn Sasanach (“cor anglais, English horn”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
Sasanach	Shasanach after an, tSasanach	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “Sasanach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “Saxanach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “Sasanach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “Sasanach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024