In the historical drama Outlander, Jamie and Claire use the term “Sassenach”. It has a very distinct meaning, but is the word historically accurate?

Throughout the Outlander series, the term “Sassenach” is used several times and many have wondered what this word exactly means and whether the way it’s used is historically accurate. Based on the book series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon, Outlander follows a military nurse named Claire Randall (Caitríona Balfe) who tends to soldiers during World War II. One day, she is sent back in time to the year 1743, where she meets Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan), a noble warrior from the Scottish Highlands. Outlander primarily focuses on the complex relationship between Claire and Jamie.

Claire and Jamie would eventually get married out of necessity, fall in love, and start a family together. Throughout Outlander, they and other characters are constantly in danger and have to fight to survive, and both Claire and Jamie always do whatever it takes to keep the other one alive. The show has become so popular that it will span eight seasons and an Outlander prequel, Blood of My Blood, will be produced as well. Whether that series will have little-known terminology is unknown, but “Sassenach” has major significance in Outlander.

Sassenach Is A Derogatory Term For English Person

Sassenach is a Gaelic derogatory term for an outsider or foreigner, specifically an English one. While the term was created and used by Gaelic speakers to “…refer to non-Gaelic speaking Scottish Lowlanders“, it especially became used to describe English people during the Jacobite rising of 1745, a Scottish rebellion against the English crown that plays a central role in Outlander (via The Bottle Imp). It is why Jamie refers to Claire as a “Sassenach” as it would have been a historically appropriate word that a Scot like Jamie would have used towards an Englishwoman like Claire.

According to Diana Gabaldon, the reason she included the term in the Outlander book series is that not only did she want there to be as many Gaelic terms as possible, but the word itself felt suitable within the historical timeframe of the narrative. As Gabaldon explains, “… I did know that Sassenach is in fact a fairly derogatory term for someone who is a foreigner, but specifically for an English person given the long acrimonious relationship between England and Scotland. So, it seemed natural that someone would refer to Claire as a Sassenach.” (via Town & Country).

Jamie Calls Claire Sassenach As A Term Of Endearment

Unlike other characters who use the word as a derogatory term or insult, Jamie calls Claire a Sassenach as a term of endearment. The reason Jamie uses the term so fondly is because part of what makes Claire so attractive to Jamie is that she’s an Englishwoman. To him, she is a strange English foreigner, and so he uses the term to express his attraction. As Gabaldon states,

“…h e adopted it as a term of endearment for her, and because one of the things and only one of the things that attracts him to her, is that she is an English woman . He kind of likes to think of it as ‘I’ve got one of their women. ”

Whether it’s saving each other’s lives, having a romance for the age that defies traditional time, or using affectionate nicknames, Claire and Jamie prove they are soulmates in Outlander.