Saracen

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [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

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Saracen
       n 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