Definition of "sampan" [‖Sam•pan]

• A flatbottom Asian skiff usually propelled by two oars. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "But the sampan was already by us and wasn't stopping."
• "The surf, through which it is carried in an open boat, called a sampan lonchore, renders such accidents unavoidable."
• "The word "sampan" literally means "three planks" in Cantonese, from the words sam (三, three) and pan (板, plank). ["