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"Sassenach" may not be pejorative, although I think it's a good indication that it is only used by Scots and refers largely to people seen as opressors. I don't know the meaning of it - someone on this board certainly will!



I derives from the word Saxon. Just a Gaelic way of pronouncing it with a suffix indicating nationality.

And I think you've hit upon the factor that makes a term perjorative. If the people to whom it applies are disliked, for whatever reason, the term will become perjorative. This is why attempts to replace perjorative terms with non-perjorative ones ultimately fail. The new term eventually becomes perjorative just by being used in reference to the people who are disliked. The only solution is to stop disliking them. Not always so easy.