samurai

[ sam-oo-rahy ]

noun,plural sam·u·rai.Japanese History.
  1. a member of the hereditary warrior class in feudal Japan.

  2. a retainer of a daimyo.

Origin of samurai

1
1720–30; <Japanese, earlier samurafi to serve, equivalent to sa- prefix + morafi watchfully wait (frequentative of mor- to guard)

Words Nearby samurai

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How to use samurai in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for samurai

samurai

/ (ˈsæmʊˌraɪ, ˈsæmjʊ-) /


nounplural -rai
  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

Origin of samurai

1
C19: from Japanese

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