Samaritans

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of people known for offering help and aid to others in need, particularly in the context of altruistic acts
2. Individuals who provide assistance and compassion to those facing hardship, often exemplifying selflessness
3. Members of a humanitarian tradition dedicated to supporting and caring for others, regardless of background or circumstance

Etymology: "Samaritans" is the plural of "samaritan", so the story belongs to the singular. The noun traces back to Samaria, the ancient region of central Palestine, and its inhabitants known as Samaritans. The name became a byword for compassion through the parable in the Gospel of Luke, in which a traveller from Samaria stops to tend to a wounded man left by the roadside, while a priest and a Levite pass by. That story turned the word from a regional label into a general term for a helper who acts kindly toward a stranger in trouble. The Samaritans as a group are also still around, and the organisation known by that name, which offers emotional support to people in distress, takes its title from the parable. The plural form is what most people encounter, since it names both the people who help and the organisation that bears the name.