Saracen

[ sar-uh-suhn ]

/ ˈsær ə sən /

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noun

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

(in later use) an Arab.

a Muslim, especially in the period of the Crusades.

adjective

Also Sar·a·cen·ic

[sar-uh-sen-ik], /ˌsær əˈsɛn ɪk/, Sar·a·cen·i·cal. of or relating to the Saracens.

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Origin of Saracen

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

OTHER WORDS FROM Saracen

Sar·a·cen·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Saracen in a sentence

It was an antique, half-Gothic, half-Saracenic looking edifice, which they now approached.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The chasuble itself is of fine Saracenic silk, woven with golden inscriptions in broad stripes.
Needlework As Art|Marian Alford
The Saracenic or Mohammedan architecture afterwards introduced into India is, of course, of foreign origin.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2|Various
He had expected to see a bit of Saracenic armor, made in Birmingham, or a cleverly forged Corot.
In Friendship's Guise|Wm. Murray Graydon

The Saracenic capitals of the beautifully carved pillars of the three doors of this faade are exceptionally good.
Cathedral Cities of Italy|William Wiehe Collins

British Dictionary definitions for Saracen

Saracen

/ (ˈsærəsən) /

noun

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

a Muslim, esp one who opposed the crusades
(in later use) any Arab

adjective

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

designating, characterizing, or relating to Muslim art or architecture

Derived forms of Saracen

Saracenic (ˌsærəˈsɛnɪk) or Saracenical, adjective

Word Origin for Saracen

C13: from Old French Sarrazin, from Late Latin Saracēnus, from Late Greek Sarakēnos, perhaps from Arabic sharq sunrise, from shāraqa to rise

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012