Definition of samurai Samurai
/sæˈmʊɹajˌ/ - [satmuray] - sam•u•rai
We found 6 definitions of samurai from 5 different sources.
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What does samurai mean?
WordNet
NounPlural: samurai |
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| samurai - feudal Japanese military aristocracy | ||
| aristocracy, nobility the quality of elevation of mind and exaltation of character or ideals or conduct | ||
| nipponese, japanese the language (usually considered to be Altaic) spoken by the Japanese | ||
| samurai - a Japanese warrior who was a member of the feudal military aristocracy | ||
| warrior someone engaged in or experienced in warfare | ||
| samurai feudal Japanese military aristocracy | ||
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Wiktionary 
Chambers DictionaryChamber's 20th Century Dictionary 📕
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samurai
sam′ōō-rī, n. sing. (also pl.) a member of the military class in the old feudal system of Japan, including both daimios, or territorial nobles, and their military retainers: a military retainer, a two-sworded man. [Jap.]
Wikipedia 
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The samurai, also named bushi, were the members of the military class of Japan. In other words, they were Japanese warriors. The word "samurai" comes from the Japanese verb "saburai", which means "to serve (someone)". Samurai lived during the Edo period.
History.
The samurai's importance and influence grew during the Edo Period, when powerful landowners hired private warriors for the protection of their properties. Towards the end of the Edo Period, two military clans, the Minamoto and Taira, had grown so powerful that they took control over the country and fought wars against each other as each one tried to be more powerful.
In 1185, the Minamoto defeated the Taira, and Minamoto Yoritomo started a new military government in Kamakura in 1192. As shogun, the highest military officer, he became the ruler of Japan.
During the chaotic Era of Warring States (sengoku jidai, 1467-1573), Japan consisted of dozens of independent states which were constantly fighting each other. This is why the country needed lots of samurai. Between the wars, many samurai were working on farms. Many of the famous samurai movies by Kurosawa take place during this era.
When Toyotomi Hideyoshi reunited Japan, he started a very strict social caste system which was later completed by Tokugawa Ieyasu and his successors. Hideyoshi forced all samurai to decide between a life on the farm and a warrior life in castle towns. Furthermore, he made it a law that the samurai were the only people who were allowed to
