Seaxan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person belonging to the Anglo-Saxon tribe known as the Saxons of early medieval Europe
2. A member of the historical Saxon people who were part of the Anglo-Saxon groups in Britain
3. One of the Saxon tribesmen from the Anglo-Saxon era, often associated with early English history

Etymology: The form "seaxan" is an Old English plural, the "-an" ending marking several Saxons, the people who lent their name to the Saxons of Britain. The name is most often linked to "seax," an Old English word for a single-edged knife or short sword, so the people may have been called after the blade they carried. Scholars generally accept this link, but the exact reasoning behind the name is not certain. Related forms appear across the Germanic languages, and the English word "Saxon" comes from the same Old English root. The name is a people's name first, so its meaning as a tribal label is what the word preserves.