Samaritan

[ suh-mar-i-tn ]

/ səˈmær ɪ tn /

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noun

an inhabitant of Samaria.

good Samaritan.

any of the dialects of Aramaic spoken by the Samaritans in ancient Israel and until recently still spoken in Nablus.

adjective

pertaining to Samaria or to Samaritans.

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Origin of Samaritan

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English, from Late Latin plural adjective and noun Samarītānī “Samaritan, Samaritans” (from Greek Samarī́t(ēs) “a Samaritan,” derivative of Samáreia “Samaria”)

OTHER WORDS FROM Samaritan

Sa·mar·i·tan·ism, noun

Words nearby Samaritan

samara, Samarang, Samaria, samariform, Samarinda, Samaritan, samarium, Samarkand, Samarra, samarskite, Sama-Veda

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Samaritan in a sentence

He wandered around from post to post, street to street, the good doctor Samaritan in search of someone to save.
Sept. 11, 2001: An ordinary work day, then surreal scenes of dread and death|David Maraniss|September 10, 2021|Washington Post
The Samaritan guidelines are written around the assumption that suicide is a purely irrational act, an act spurred by illness.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism|Arthur Chu|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Thanks Rovell for pointing that out, all part of being a Good Samaritan, right?
Porn Stars Are People Too, Dammit: Lisa Ann’s Notre Dame Date and the Trolling of David Gregory|Aurora Snow|October 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In one of my homicides, I had one wonderful witness, a legit Good Samaritan with 20-20 vision and photographic memory.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Hence, the need for more “good Samaritan” laws that protect people who call for help when someone is overdosing.
Legal, Regulated Heroin Could Have Saved Philip Seymour Hoffman|Valerie Vande Panne|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She flagged down the Irvine bus and spoke to an unidentified good samaritan, who brought her to her office and called the police.
The Princess & the Peon: Saudi Royal’s Slave Labor Charges|Eliza Shapiro, Christine Pelisek|July 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Several rabbis assert that the Samaritan was the original tongue; other persons say that it was that of Lower Brittany.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 1 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
He was a good Samaritan and unafraid, who is affectionately remembered by a grateful foe.
Historic Fredericksburg|John T. Goolrick
I came upon your little daughter not long since playing the part of the Good Samaritan to Raulsburys poor old horse.
Three Little Women|Gabrielle E. Jackson
Yes, you find people ready enough to do the good Samaritan without the oil and twopence.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood
The words and the expressions on the countenances of the others caused the truth to flash upon the good Samaritan.
The Phantom of the River|Edward S. Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for Samaritan

Samaritan

/ (səˈmærɪtən) /

noun

a native or inhabitant of Samaria

short for Good Samaritan

a member of a voluntary organization (the Samaritans) which offers counselling to people in despair, esp by telephone

the dialect of Aramaic spoken in Samaria

adjective

of or relating to Samaria

Derived forms of Samaritan

Samaritanism, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with Samaritan

Samaritan

see good Samaritan.