Samaritan
UK /səˈmæɹɪtən/ · US /səˈmɛɹɪtən/ noun, adjective, proper noun
Forms Samaritans
- noun A native, or inhabitant of Samaria; especially one practising certain ethnoreligious traditions indigenous to that region.
- noun A charitable person, one who helps others (from the Bible story in Luke 10:30–37).
- noun (UK) A person who works for the Samaritans telephone helpline, taking calls from suicidal members of the public.
- adjective Of, or relating to Samaria or Samaritans.
- proper noun The ancient language of Samaria: a dialect of Hebrew.
- noun a Good Samaritan
Etymology
From Latin Samarītānus, from Ancient Greek Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs), from Σαμαρεία (Samareía, “Samaria”), derived from Biblical Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹנִים (Šōmərôním) and שֹׁמְרוֹן (Šōmərôn) respectively. Attested in Old English.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Of or pertaining to Samaria, in Palestine.
- adjective A native or inhabitant of Samaria; also, the language of Samaria.
Etymology [L. Samaritanus.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “Samaritan”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details