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samurai

[ sam-oo-rahy ]
/ ˈsæm ʊˌraɪ /
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noun, plural sam·u·rai.Japanese History.
a member of the hereditary warrior class in feudal Japan.
a retainer of a daimyo.
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Origin of samurai

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

British Dictionary definitions for samurai

samurai
/ (ˈsæmʊˌraɪ, ˈsæmjʊ-) /

noun plural -rai
the Japanese warrior caste that provided the administrative and fighting aristocracy from the 11th to the 19th centuries
a member of this aristocracy

Word Origin for samurai

C19: from Japanese
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
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