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

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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”)

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Samaritan

But when I boarded a tram, I recognized someone: The driver was my Good Samaritan from the highway.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

At one point, you question if he even knows the story of the Good Samaritan.

From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026

The Good Samaritan Foundation now offers accommodation and all kinds of workshops to about 170 young men.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026

His primary attorney Steve Haney contends that the fire was instead set off by people using fireworks, and that his client was a "Good Samaritan" who called 911 a total of 17 times.

From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026

The only man to help was a Samaritan — the member of a despised minority — who “went up to him and bound up his wounds” and took him to an inn.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

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