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traitor - 6 dictionary results

trai⋅tor

[trey-ter]
–noun
1. a person who betrays another, a cause, or any trust.
2. a person who commits treason by betraying his or her country.

Origin:
1175–1225; ME < OF < L trāditōr-, s. of trāditor betrayer. See traditor


trai⋅tor⋅ship, noun
trai·tor   (trā'tər)   
n.  One who betrays one's country, a cause, or a trust, especially one who commits treason.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin trāditor, from trāditus, past participle of trādere, to betray; see tradition.]

Traitor

Trai"tor\, n. [OE. traitour, OF. tra["i]tor, tra["i]teur, F. tre[^i]tre, L. traditor, fr. tradere, traditum, to deliver, to give up or surrender treacherously, to betray; trans across, over + dare to give. See Date time, and cf. Betray,Tradition, Traditor, Treason.]

1. One who violates his allegiance and betrays his country; one guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers his country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place intrusted to his defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished; also, one who takes arms and levies war against his country; or one who aids an enemy in conquering his country. See Treason.

O passing traitor, perjured and unjust! --Shak.

2. Hence, one who betrays any confidence or trust; a betrayer. "This false traitor death." --Chaucer.

Traitor

Trai"tor\, a. Traitorous. [R.] --Spenser. Pope.

Traitor

Trai"tor\, v. t. To act the traitor toward; to betray; to deceive. [Obs.] " But time, it traitors me." --Lithgow.
Language Translation for : traitor
Spanish: traidor,
German: der, *die Verräter(in),
Japanese: 裏切者

traitor 
c.1225, from O.Fr. traitor (11c.), from L. traditorem (nom. traditor) "betrayer," lit. "one who delivers," from stem of tradere "deliver, surrender" (see tradition). Originally usually with a suggestion of Judas Iscariot.
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