Samurai

http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/samurai.html

The word samurai has its origins in the pre-Heian period Japan when it was pronounced saburai, meaning servant or attendant. It was not until the early modern period, namely the Azuchi-momoyama period and darly Edo period of the late 16th and early 17th centuries that the word saburai became substituted with samurai. However, by then, the meaning had already long before changed. The term samurai now usually refers to warrior nobility, not, for example, ashigaru or foot soldiers.