Meanings
plural samovars
- A metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea. Traditionally, the water is heated by hot coals or charcoal in a chimney-like tube which runs through the center of the urn. Today, it is more likely that the water is heated by an electric coil.
Come on now with the samovar ─ and make haste sorting the letter-bag.
1919, Ronald Firbank, Valmouth, hardback edition, Duckworth, page 1073 more examples
The samovar was beginning to sing; the laborers and the family, having disposed of the horses, came in to dinner.
1901 [1878], chapter 25, in Constance Garnett, transl., Anna Karenina, translation of Анна Каренина (Anna Karenina) by Leo Tolstoy, part 3Eurydice pointed to the cupboard, and sat down on the low divan with folded hands, and looked at the floor.[…]Elsa made her drink a glass of vodka. Then she fetched the samovar from the kitchen, and made tea.
1932, Maurice Baring, chapter 20, in Friday's Business“Chumley. The beverage situation around here is reprehensible.” “Oh, good morning, sunshine.” “Surely our massive conglomerate parent company could spring for a samovar of coffee.” “Yeah, or like a big coffee dispenser.” “That's what a samovar is.” “Are there other black nerds, or is it just you and Urkel?”
2006 October 11, Tina Fey, “Pilot” (2:15 from the start), in 30 Rock, season 1, episode 1, spoken by James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell)
Origin
- Russianсамова́р“self-boiler”
- Englishsamovar
From Russian самова́р (samovár, “self-boiler”); from само́ (samó, “self”) + вари́ть (varítʹ, “boil, cook”).
More words from Russian
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سَامَوَار, سَمَوَار
- سَامَوَار (samawār)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
- سَمَوَار (samawār)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Bulgarian самова́р
- самова́р (samovár)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Chinese Mandarin 薩摩瓦爾 /萨摩瓦尔, 俄式茶壺 /俄式茶壶
- 薩摩瓦爾 /萨摩瓦尔 (sàmówǎ'ěr)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
- 俄式茶壺 /俄式茶壶 (éshì cháhú)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
- 茶炊 (cháchuī)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Czech samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Danish samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Dutch samowar
- samowarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Esperanto samovaro
- samovarometal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Estonian samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Finnish samovaari
- samovaarimetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
French samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
German Samowar
- Samowarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Greek σαμοβάρι
- σαμοβάρι (samovári)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Hebrew מֵחַם, סָמוֹבָר
- מֵחַם (mekhám)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
- סָמוֹבָר (samovár)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Hindi हंडी, समोवार
- हंडी (haṇḍī)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
- समोवार (samovār)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Hungarian szamovár
- szamovármetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Indonesian samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Italian samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Japanese サモワール
- サモワール (samowāru)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Korean 사모바르
- 사모바르 (samobareu)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Latin authepsa
- authepsametal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Latvian samovārs
- samovārsmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Lithuanian samovaras
- samovarasmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Norwegian Bokmål samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Polish samowar
- samowarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Portuguese samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Romanian samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Russian самова́р
- самова́р (samovár)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Slovak samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Spanish samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Swedish samovar
- samovarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Thai ซาโมวาร์
- ซาโมวาร์ (saa-moo-waa)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Turkish semaver, semâver
- semavermetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
- semâvermetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Ukrainian самова́р
- самова́р (samovár)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Urdu سَماوار
- سَماوار (samāvār)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Vietnamese ấm xa-mô-va, ấm lò
- ấm xa-mô-vametal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
- ấm lòmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Welsh samofar
- samofarmetal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Yiddish סאַמאָוואַר
- סאַמאָוואַר (samovar)metal urn with a spigot, for boiling water for making tea
Cite this entry
samovar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/samovar
“samovar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/samovar. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “samovar,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/samovar.
Source: samovar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.