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samurai definition

samu·rai (sam′ə rī′)

noun pl. samurai -·rai′

  1. in feudal Japan, a member of a military class, consisting of the retainers of the daimyos: a samurai wore two swords and lived by the code of Bushido
  2. later, used in English to designate a Japanese army officer or member of the military caste

Etymology: Jpn, var. of saburai, nominal form of sabura(h)u, to be in attendance, to serve

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

samurai Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • famous: He talks of his encounters with the descendants of famous Samurais of the past.

Converse of object

  • become: Adams had truly become a samurai, forgoing his English attire for sumptuous silk kimonos.

Adjective modifier

  • masterless: As a result, the Lord`s retainers become ronin, masterless samurai.

Modifies a noun

  • sword: The samurai sword is considered by many to be the spirit of old Japan.

Noun used with modifier

  • killer: Killer sudoku is my favorite sudoku variation ( with the possible exception of killer samurai sudoku ).
samurai usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"samurai." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/samurai>

APA Style

samurai. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/samurai

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