Σαρακηνός

Ancient Greek

Alternative forms

Σαρακινός (Sarakinós)

Etymology

Perhaps from an Old Arabic predecessor of Arabic شرقيين‎ (šarqiyyīn, “easterners”, oblique case), from شَرْق‎ (šarq, “east”). In this case the word may originally have referred to the Arabs residing to the east of the fertile strip along the Mediterranean. Compare also Arabic شرقيين‎ (Šarqiyyīn), a bedouin tribe, which gave its name to Arabic الشرقي‎ (Aš-Šarqī), ruling dynasty of Emirate of Fujairah; though this may be entirely unrelated. The Oxford English Dictionary disputes this etymology.

According to Michael C. A. Macdonald, likely from Old Arabic or Ancient North Arabian [script needed] (*s²arrāqīn, “those who migrate to the inner desert”), derived from [script needed] (*s²arraqa, “to migrate in the inner desert”).

Pronunciation

(4^th CE Koine) IPA^(key): /sa.ra.kiˈnos/
(10^th CE Byzantine) IPA^(key): /sa.ra.ciˈnos/
(15^th CE Constantinopolitan) IPA^(key): /sa.ra.ciˈnos/

Noun

Σαρακηνός • (Sarakēnós) m (genitive Σαρακηνοῦ); second declension

(Koine) a desert-dwelling Arabic or para-Arabic nomad of North Arabia
(Byzantine) a Muslim; a Saracen

Inflection

Second declension of ὁ Σαρακηνός; τοῦ Σαρακηνοῦ (Attic)

Case / #	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ὁ Σαρακηνός ho Sarakēnós	τὼ Σαρακηνώ tṑ Sarakēnṓ	οἱ Σαρακηνοί hoi Sarakēnoí
Genitive	τοῦ Σαρακηνοῦ toû Sarakēnoû	τοῖν Σαρακηνοῖν toîn Sarakēnoîn	τῶν Σαρακηνῶν tôn Sarakēnôn
Dative	τῷ Σαρακηνῷ tôi Sarakēnôi	τοῖν Σαρακηνοῖν toîn Sarakēnoîn	τοῖς Σαρακηνοῖς toîs Sarakēnoîs
Accusative	τὸν Σαρακηνόν tòn Sarakēnón	τὼ Σαρακηνώ tṑ Sarakēnṓ	τοὺς Σαρακηνούς toùs Sarakēnoús
Vocative	Σαρακηνέ Sarakēné	Σαρακηνώ Sarakēnṓ	Σαρακηνοί Sarakēnoí
Notes:	This table gives Attic inflectional endings. For declension in other dialects, see Appendix:Ancient Greek dialectal declension.

Descendants

Greek: Σαρακηνός (Sarakinós)
→ Latin: Saracēnus, Sarracēnus
- → Old English: Sarocine, Sarracene
- Old French: Sarazin, Sarrazin
  - Middle French: Sarrazin
    - French: Sarrasin
  - → Middle English: Sarezin, Sarrezin
    - English: Saracen
- Italian: Saracino
- Spanish: Saraceno
- Galician: sarraceno
- Portuguese: sarraceno

Unsorted

→ Old Church Slavonic: срацинъ (sracinŭ)
Classical Syriac: ܣܪܩܝ‎ (sarqāyā)
Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: סרקי‎ (sarqayy)
Hebrew: סרקי‎ (sarqī)

References

Woodhouse, S. C. (1910) English–Greek Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Attic Language‎, London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Limited, page 1,024
https://www.academia.edu/4421918/On_Saracens_the_Rawwāfah_Inscription_and_the_Roman_Army

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