samurai

American  

[sam-oo-rahy] / ˈsæm ʊˌraɪ /

noun

Japanese History.

PLURAL

samurai

1. a member of the hereditary warrior class in feudal Japan.

2. a retainer of a daimyo.

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samurai British  

/ ˈsæmʊˌraɪ, ˈsæmjʊ- /

noun

1. the Japanese warrior caste that provided the administrative and fighting aristocracy from the 11th to the 19th centuries

2. a member of this aristocracy

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Etymology

Origin of samurai

1720–30; < Japanese, earlier samurafi to serve, equivalent to sa- prefix + morafi watchfully wait (frequentative of mor- to guard)

Example Sentences

Caesar did a Japanese samurai warrior into whose ersatz-Japanese monologue would slip in the occasional Yiddish word.

From The Wall Street Journal

Born into a family of samurai rank, Kurosawa felt that action rather than contemplation reveals the human soul.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the time, officers seized six air weapons, a samurai sword, three crossbows and bolts, six knives and a stun gun.

From BBC

Considering the Meiji period was when the samurai became obsolete, the potential for social commentary mixed in with high-stakes combat seems pretty high.

From Los Angeles Times

The recently opened IG Arena stands in the outer citadel of Nagoya Castle in Nagoya, Japan, which was built in the early 1600s, when samurai battles raged in the region.

From Los Angeles Times