Samaritan

[ suh-mar-i-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.

adjective

1. pertaining to Samaria or to Samaritans.

Samaritan

/ 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

adjective

1. of or relating to Samaria

Derived Forms

• Saˈmaritanism, noun

Other Words From

• Sa·mar·i·tan·ism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Samaritan¹

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”)

Idioms and Phrases

see good Samaritan .

Example Sentences

Relatives of a "good Samaritan" murdered by a man who was only released from jail the day before are taking legal action against a number of authorities.

From BBC

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can visit the BBC's Action Line or contact the Samaritans.

From BBC

“It’s an unsolvable issue,” said Nicholas Matthews, 24, a Tucson Samaritan who has opened his apartment to asylum seekers.

From Los Angeles Times

These good Samaritans respond to rescue calls at any hour of the day, often putting their own safety at risk.

From Los Angeles Times

They said that fire was stomped out by a good Samaritan.

From Los Angeles Times