Definition of sampans:
(n) :
(chiefly historical) A Chinese flat-bottomed wooden boat propelled by two oars.
(n) :
(India, chiefly historical) Alternative form of jampan. [(India, chiefly historical) Synonym of dandy or tonjon, a kind of open sedan chair, particularly one with its main pole suspended from smaller poles borne on the shoulders of two pairs of porters.]