samurai

Where does the word "samurai" come from? It comes from Japanese samurai, and was adopted directly into English (1700s).

Samurai’s story begins in Japanese: samurai meant “a member of the warrior class.” Literally one who serves, a member of Japan's warrior class. It reached English by 1700s as samurai. Japanese 'those who serve'; the Meiji reforms abolished the samurai class in the 1870s. Today, samurai means a member of the hereditary warrior class of medieval and early-modern Japan.

1. Stage 1 · Japanese · medieval samurai "a member of the warrior class", literally one who serves, a member of Japan's warrior class.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1700s samurai "a member of the medieval Japanese warrior class", Japanese 'those who serve'; the Meiji reforms abolished the samurai class in the 1870s.