samurai

[ sam-oo-rahy ]

noun

, Japanese History.

, plural sam·u·rai.

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

samurai

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of samurai¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of samurai¹

C19: from Japanese

Example Sentences

“I have been composing my whole life, although I didn’t know initially that was what I was doing,” says RZA, who provided the soundtrack for movies such as “Kill Bill” and “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.”

From Los Angeles Times

The master-servant relationship from the samurai period has transitioned into the relationship between founding families and their employees, and "historically commoners never fought over the top job".

From BBC

Throughout his music career, which he balanced with his fire department service, Ka self-released 11 solo albums, including the lauded 2016 recording “Honor Killed the Samurai,” according to his Instagram.

From Los Angeles Times

“Samurai Delicatessen”: I loved seeing John Belushi do anything, but the samurai bits were always good, and “Samurai Delicatessen” was the topper for me.

From Los Angeles Times

So John Belushi playing the samurai.

From Los Angeles Times