Where does “Saxon” come from?

Saxon derives from Middle English Saxe, though the ultimate origin and meaning remain unclear.

Saxon (English): A member of an ancient West Germanic tribe that...

Definitions

  1. A member of an ancient West Germanic tribe that...

Ancestry of “Saxon”, step by step

Saxon traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Latin Saxō

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinSaxōA person from the Germanic tribal community of the Saxons
2Frenchsaxophonesaxophone; first-person singular present...
3French-phonespeaker of a specific language; something that...
4Ancient Greekφωνήsound; Usually of the human voice: voice, cry,...
5Proto-Hellenicpʰōnā́—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰoh₂-néh₂—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₂-to shine, glow light; to speak, say
8Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰeh₂-s-ri-—

via Old English Seaxa

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishSeaxaa Saxon; Saxon
2Proto-West Germanicsahsdagger, knife
3Proto-Germanicsahsąa stone chip used for cutting; dagger, knife
4Proto-Indo-Europeansek-to cut, cut off, sever

Words derived from “Saxon”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰeh₂-s-ri- →