Samaritan

See also: samaritan and samaritán

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin Samarītānus, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Ancient Greek Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs), from Σαμαρεία (Samareía, “Samaria”), derived from Biblical Hebrew שֹׁמְרוֹנִים (Šōmərôním) and שֹׁמְרוֹן (Šōmərôn) respectively. Attested in Old English.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /səˈmæɹɪtən/
• IPA^(key): /səˈmɛɹɪtən/
• Hyphenation: Sa‧mar‧i‧tan

Noun

Samaritan (plural Samaritans)

1. A native, or inhabitant of Samaria; especially one practising the religious traditions originating in that region.
   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin 2010, p. 62:

     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.

2. A charitable person, one who helps others (from the Bible story in Luke 10:30–37).
3. (UK) A person who works for the Samaritans telephone helpline, taking calls from the public.

Derived terms

• Good Samaritan

Translations

a native or inhabitant of Samaria

• Arabic: سَامِرِيّ m (sāmiriyy)
• Catalan: samarità m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 撒馬利亞人／撒马利亚人 (Sāmǎlìyàrén), 撒马利亚人 (Sāmǎlìyǎ rén)

• Danish: samaritaner c
• Dutch: Samaritaan (nl) m, Samaritaanse (nl) f
• Finnish: samarialainen (fi)
• French: Samaritain (fr) m, Samaritaine (fr) f
• Galician: samaritano m
• German: Samariter (de) m, Samariterin (de) f
• Hebrew: שׁוֹמְרוֹנִי m (shomroní)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hindi: सामिरी m (sāmirī)
• Italian: samaritano (it) m, samaritana f
• Manx: Samaaragh m
• Old Church Slavonic: самарѣнꙑн҄и f (samarěnynʹi), самарѣнинъ m (samarěninŭ)
• Polish: Samarytanin (pl) m, Samarytanka (pl) f
• Portuguese: samaritano (pt) m
• Russian: самаритя́нин (ru) m (samaritjánin), самаритя́нка (ru) f (samaritjánka)
• Spanish: samaritano m, samaritana f
• Volapük: Samaritänan m or f, hi-Samaritänan m, ji-Samaritänan f

Adjective

Samaritan (not comparable)

1. Of, or relating to Samaria or Samaritans.

Translations

of or relating to Samaria or the Samaritans

• Catalan: samarità
• Danish: samaritansk
• Dutch: Samaritaans (nl)
• Finnish: samarialainen (fi)
• French: samaritain (fr) m, samaritaine (fr) f
• Galician: samaritano
• Hindi: सामिरी (sāmirī)
• Italian: samaritano (it)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Manx: Samaaragh
• Polish: samarytański (pl)
• Portuguese: samaritano (pt)
• Russian: самаритя́нский (ru) (samaritjánskij)
• Spanish: samaritano m
• Volapük: Samaritänik (region); Samaritänanik m or f, hi-Samaritänanik m, ji-Samaritänanik f

Proper noun

Samaritan

1. The ancient language of Samaria: a dialect of Hebrew.

Anagrams

• Sarmatian