saracen

Noun

WordNet 3.0

Noun (3)

  1. (historically) a member of the nomadic people of the Syrian and Arabian deserts at the time of the Roman Empire
  2. (when used broadly) any Arab
  3. (historically) a Muslim who opposed the Crusades
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Saracen \Sar"a*cen\, n. [L. Saracenus perhaps fr. Ar. sharqi, pl. sharqi[imac]n, Oriental, Eastern, fr. sharaqa to rise, said of the sun: cf. F. sarrasin. Cf. Sarcenet, Sarrasin, Sirocco.] Anciently, an Arab; later, a Mussulman; in the Middle Ages, the common term among Christians in Europe for a Mohammedan hostile to the crusaders. [1913 Webster]

Saracens' consound (Bot.), a kind of ragwort (Senecio Saracenicus), anciently used to heal wounds. [1913 Webster] Saracenic

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