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Saxony

A historical region of northern Germany. The original home of the Saxons, it was conquered by Charlemagne in the eighth century and became a duchy after his death. Its borders were eventually extended southeastward as the region was subdivided and redivided. The dukes of Saxony became electors of the Holy Roman Empire in 1356, and in 1806 the elector was elevated to kingship but lost half his territory to Prussia in 1815. In 1871 the kingdom of Saxony became a constituent state of the German Empire.

sax·o·ny also Sax·o·ny

(săksə-nē)

n. pl. sax·o·nies also Sax·o·nies

1. A high-grade wool fabric originally made from the wool of sheep raised in Saxony.

2. A fine soft wool fabric similar in weave to tweed.

3. A woven carpet having a cut pile of dense erect tufts.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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