Pale Anglo-Saxon female (5)
I believe the answer is:
ashen
'pale' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'anglo-saxon female' is the wordplay.
'anglo-saxon' becomes 'AS' (abbreviation for Anglo-Saxon).
'female' becomes 'hen' (female chicken).
'as'+'hen'='ASHEN'
(Other definitions for ashen that I've seen before include "Visibly shocked" , "Like bird" , "White" , "White-faced" , "Grey in colour" .)