See Also: saracen(medicine)
Saracen(dictionary)
Saracen(encyclopedia)
Saracen(dictionary)
SARACEN MINERAL Holdings Limited(finance)

Saracen (iou)



Saracen noun & adjective. OE.

A. noun.
Hist. Orig., a member of any of the nomadic peoples of the Syrian and Arabian deserts which harassed the borders of the Roman Empire. Later also, an Arab, a Turk, a Muslim, esp. at the time of the Crusades. OE.
a. A heathen, a pagan, an infidel. ME-M16.
b. A boorish person, a barbarian. rare. E18-M19.
Comb.: Saracen corn arch. buckwheat, Fagopyrum esculentum (cf. SARRAZIN); Saracen's consound a kind of ragwort, Senecio fluviatilis, said to have been used by the Saracens in healing wounds; Saracen's corn (a) = Saracen corn above; (b) sorghum, Sorghum vulgare; Saracen's head the head of a Saracen or Turk, esp. as a heraldic charge or as an inn sign; Saracen's woundwort = Saracen's consound above.
b. adjective. Saracenic. ME.
Saracenism noun (Hist., rare) the political or religious organization of the Saracens M17.