Sarrasins

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical term referring to Muslim people, particularly during the Middle Ages, perceived as adversaries by European Christians
2. An archaic name for Islamic individuals, often used in the context of the Crusades and conflict between different faiths
3. A label used in medieval literature to describe those of Islamic faith, often highlighting cultural and religious tensions with Christian Europe

Etymology: "Sarrasins" is the plural of "sarrasin," the French word for a Saracen, and it is worth knowing that the singular form is the one that carries the older history. The term was used in medieval Europe for Muslims, and it was applied loosely: from the Crusades onward, Christian writers used it for Arab and other Muslim peoples, whether or not they had any real contact with them. A mass of French romances and chronicles speak of the "sarrasins" as the enemies of Christendom, so the plural became the standard way to refer to whole armies and populations rather than individuals. Because the form is simply the plural of "sarrasin," its etymology is that of the singular. The term itself is a medieval European label rather than a name the people so described would have used for themselves, which is part of why it carries such a strong flavour of religious opposition in the texts where it appears.

Synonyms: Saracens