Samaritan Meaning
/səˈmæɹɪtən/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nouna Good Samaritan
nounA native, or inhabitant of Samaria; especially one practising certain ethnoreligious traditions indigenous to that region.
Sentence Examples
Tom was a good Samaritan.
Tom was helped by a Good Samaritan.
Samaritan identity is inherited patrilineally, rather than matrilineally as with rabbinic Jews.
CEFR Practice Quiz
A kind ____ stopped to help the stranded motorist on the highway.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A kind ____ stopped to help the injured cyclist until the ambulance arrived.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 62:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
A kind ____ stopped to help the stranded motorist on the highway.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A kind ____ stopped to help the injured cyclist until the ambulance arrived.