samaritan
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Samaritan¹
- /səˈmæɹɪtən/ UK
- /səˈmɛɹɪtən/ US
Where it comes from
From Latin Samarītānus, from Ancient Greek Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs), from Σαμαρεία (Samareía, “Samaria”), derived from Biblical Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹנִים (Šōmərôním) and שֹׁמְרוֹן (Šōmərôn) respectively. Attested in Old English.
noun Samaritans
- A native, or inhabitant of Samaria; especially one practising certain ethnoreligious traditions indigenous to that region. Many of these despised people built a rival temple on Mount Gerizim in the central Palestinian territory known as Samaria, and hence they were called Samaritans (a word of contempt to Jews); in very reduced numbers, they still live round their sacred mountain now.
- A charitable person, one who helps others (from the Bible story in Luke 10:30–37).
- A person who works for the Samaritans telephone helpline, taking calls from suicidal members of the public.
adjective
- Of, or relating to Samaria or Samaritans.
proper noun
- The ancient language of Samaria: a dialect of Hebrew.
samaritan²
noun samaritans
- a Good Samaritan
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: good samaritan, samaritanism, good shepherd, mezuzah, savior, synagogue, synagog, gentile, eleemosynar, shaliah, barnabas, lazarus, shemaiah, samaria, sampson, god-fearer
Translations
Every language
noun a native or inhabitant of Samaria
| Español | samaritano, samaritana |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 撒馬利亞人 /撒马利亚人 Sāmǎlìyàrén |
| हिन्दी | सामरी sāmrī |
| Português | samaritano |
| Français | Samaritain, Samaritaine |
| Deutsch | Samariter, Samariterin |
| Italiano | samaritano, samaritana |
| Русский | самаритя́нин samaritjánin, самаритя́нка samaritjánka |
| العربية | سَامِرِيّ sāmiriyy |
| עברית | שׁוֹמְרוֹנִי shomroní |
adj of or relating to Samaria or the Samaritans
| Español | samaritano |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | सामरी sāmrī |
| Português | samaritano |
| Français | samaritain, samaritaine |
| Italiano | samaritano |
| Русский | самаритя́нский samaritjánskij |
Talk about this word "samaritan." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/samaritan. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. samaritan. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/samaritan "samaritan." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/samaritan.Cite this
@misc{samaritan_2026,
title = {samaritan},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/samaritan},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
