Saracen

American  

[sar-uh-suhn] / ˈsær ə sən /

noun

1. History/Historical. a member of any of the nomadic tribes on the Syrian borders of the Roman Empire.

2. (in later use) an Arab.

3. a Muslim, especially in the period of the Crusades.

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adjective

1. Also Saracenic Saracenical. of or relating to the Saracens.

Saracen British  

/ ˈsærəsən, ˌsærəˈsɛnɪk /

noun

1. 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

2. 1. a Muslim, esp one who opposed the crusades

   2. (in later use) any Arab

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adjective

1. of or relating to Arabs of either of these periods, regions, or types

2. designating, characterizing, or relating to Muslim art or architecture

Other Word Forms

• Saracenic
  adjective
• Saracenism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Saracen

before 900; Middle English, Old English < Medieval Latin Saracēnus < Late Greek Sarakēnós

Example Sentences

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

Having sat behind fellow Saracen Jamie George as an unused replacement in the past three games, he paved the way for one of England's tries and scored the other after charging down Santiago Carreras' kick.

From BBC • Oct. 28, 2023

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

The word Saracen, as you all know, means two completely different things.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz