Late Middle English; earliest use found in Kyng Alisaunder. From Old French almaçur Saracen prince, emir, ultimately from Arabic al-manṣūr (from al the + manṣūr aided (by God), victorious, triumphant, passive participle of naṣara to help, aid, assist, to make (a person) victorious), title of several Arab rulers; the Arabic word may perhaps have entered French via Spanish †Almançor, name given by Christian chroniclers to the late 10th-cent. de facto ruler of Muslim al-Andalus and other Muslim rulers.