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sar·sen

(särsən′)

One of several large masses of silicified sandstone or conglomerate found on or near the ground surface in England and Brittany and believed to be the erosional remains of a sedimentary bed deposited during the Tertiary Period. These masses were used by Neolithic peoples as monoliths.

[Short for Sarsen stone, from Early Modern English Sarsen, variant of Saracen, Saracen, heathen, pagan (perhaps in reference to the use of sarsens in ancient monuments); see SARACEN.]

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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