Samaritan

American  

[suh-mar-i-tn] / səˈmær ɪ tn /

noun

1. an inhabitant of Samaria.

2. good Samaritan.

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

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adjective

1. pertaining to Samaria or to Samaritans.

Samaritan British  

/ səˈmærɪtən /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Samaria

2. short for Good Samaritan

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

4. the dialect of Aramaic spoken in Samaria

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adjective

1. of or relating to Samaria

Samaritan Idioms  

1. see good Samaritan.

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Other Word Forms

• Samaritanism noun

Etymology

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”)

Example Sentences

The 2½-month-old puppy, Peanut, was brought in as a stray on March 9 after being rescued by a good Samaritan in Arcadia, according to Jamie Holeman, chief marketing and communications officer at Pasadena Humane.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

But the moment that stood out most to me was when one good Samaritan asked plaintively while helping the distressed teenager, “We got to be able to call somebody.”

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2026

He was, by all accounts, acting as a Good Samaritan, trying to break up the fight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 7, 2025

The second was also stamped out fast, this time by a good Samaritan, according to prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 2, 2025

The phantom Samaritan stuck the book between his teeth, crouched down, hoisted Arnold Jones’s limp carcass over his shoulder, and hauled him out of there like a sack of flour.

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli