saracen Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (historically) a member of the nomadic people of the Syrian and Arabian deserts at the time of the Roman Empire
  2. noun (when used broadly) any Arab
  3. noun (historically) a Muslim who opposed the Crusades

WordNet

Sar"a*cen noun
Etymology
l. Saracenus perhaps fr. Ar. sharqi, pl. sharqiin, Oriental Eastern, fr. sharaga to rise, said of the sun: cf. F. sarrasin. Cf. Sarcenet, Sarrasin, Sirocco.
Definitions
  1. Anciently, an Arab; later, a Mussulman; in the Middle Ages, the common term among Christians in Europe for a Mohammedan hostile to the crusaders.

Webster 1913