noun
samurai lineage; person of samurai descent
Refers to a family or individual with samurai ancestry, often used in historical or genealogical contexts.
彼は士族の家系に生まれた。
He was born into a family of samurai lineage.
noun
shizoku; former samurai class (1869–1947)
Historical term for the second of three official classes in Meiji-era Japan, comprising former samurai. The class system was abolished in 1947.
See also: 族称
明治時代、士族は華族の下、平民の上の身分だった。
In the Meiji period, the shizoku were a class below the kazoku (peerage) and above the commoners.
Refers to the warrior class itself, while 士族 specifically denotes the post-Meiji legal class of former samurai and their descendants.
From 士 (warrior, samurai) + 族 (family, clan, class). Coined in the Meiji era to designate the former samurai class within the new legal hierarchy.