The Collaborative International Dictionary
Sarrasine
Sarrasin \Sar"ra*sin\, Sarrasine \Sar"ra*sine\, n. [F. sarrasine, LL. saracina. See Saracen.] (Fort.) A portcullis, or herse. [Written also sarasin.]
Wikipedia
Sarrasine
''For the pipevine, see Aristolochia longa.
Sarrasine is a novella written by Honoré de Balzac. It was published in 1830, and is part of his Comédie Humaine.