Saracen
Americannoun
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History/Historical. a member of any of the nomadic tribes on the Syrian borders of the Roman Empire.
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(in later use) an Arab.
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a Muslim, especially in the period of the Crusades.
adjective
noun
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history a member of one of the nomadic Arabic tribes, esp of the Syrian desert, that harassed the borders of the Roman Empire in that region
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a Muslim, esp one who opposed the crusades
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(in later use) any Arab
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adjective
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of or relating to Arabs of either of these periods, regions, or types
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designating, characterizing, or relating to Muslim art or architecture
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Saracen
before 900; Middle English, Old English < Medieval Latin Saracēnus < Late Greek Sarakēnós
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Can imperfect sidekicks and second-fiddlers like Camelot’s court jester and Sir Palomides, the Saracen knight, save the realm when Arthur reveals himself as all too mortal?
From Seattle Times • May 14, 2024
It was a celebration of ancient cultures: Assyrian, Egyptian, Roman and Saracen.
From Washington Post • Apr. 3, 2021
She’s the one who had a teen pregnancy, has a little kid with her ex, who is played by—shoutout to fans of Friday Night Lights—Matt Saracen.
From Slate • Apr. 15, 2020
In the opening credits for the TV show “Friday Night Lights,” high school quarterback Matt Saracen is shown throwing into a tire hanging in his front yard in fictional Dillon, Texas.
From Washington Times • Oct. 10, 2018
William said, “Of course we are. A giant monk, a Saracen oblate, a Jew, and a peasant girl. Aren’t all the king’s friends like that?”
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
