Saracen \Sar"a*cen\, n. [L. Saracenus perhaps fr. Ar. sharqi, pl. sharqi[=i]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. {Saracens' consound} (Bot.), a kind of ragwort ({Senecio Saracenicus}), anciently used to heal wounds.