Quantcast
 
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web

traitor

 - 3 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To traitor
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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see traitor on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: