SARACEN

Sar″a‐cen (?), n. [[L. Saracenus perhaps fr. Ar. sharqi, pl. sharqiīn, 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. Saracens' consound (Bot.), a kind of ragwort (Senecio Saracenicus), anciently used to heal wounds.