traitor

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See also: traïtor

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English traitor, traitour, traytour, from Old French traïtor (French traître), from Latin trāditor. Displaced native Middle English swike from Old English swica (“traitor”), and Middle English proditour and traditour borrowed directly from Latin. The general Old English word denoting "traitor" was lǣwa or lǣwend.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈtɹeɪtə(ɹ)/
  • (US) enPR: trā′tər, IPA(key): /ˈtɹeɪtɚ/,
  • Homophone: trader (in dialects with flapping)
    • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪtə(ɹ)

Noun

traitor (plural traitors)

  1. Someone who violates an allegiance and betrays their country; someone guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers their country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place entrusted to their defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished.
  2. Someone who takes arms and levies war against their country; or one who aids an enemy in conquering their country.
  3. (by extension) One who betrays any confidence or trust.
    • 2019, Patricia Taxxon (lyrics and music), “Cold Water”, in Doraemon:
      It's second nature now to think myself a traitor
      To myself, to all I've ever burdened with my rotting visage
      I can't breathe, the weight of all I've disappointed crushes me
      If I were happy, it would feel as if I couldn't trust me
    • 2021, Olivia Rodrigo, Dan Nigro (lyrics and music), “Traitor”, in Sour‎, performed by Olivia Rodrigo:
      It took you two weeks
      To go off and date her
      Guess you didn't cheat
      But you're still, you're still a traitor
      Yeah, you're still a traitor

Synonyms

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

traitor (third-person singular simple present traitors, present participle traitoring, simple past and past participle traitored)

  1. To act the traitor toward; to betray; to deceive.

Translations

betray — see betray

Adjective

traitor (comparative more traitor, superlative most traitor)

  1. Traitorous.
    • 1735, Alexander Pope, “The Second Satire of Dr. John Donne”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume II, London: J. Wright, for Lawton Gilliver , →OCLC:
      to find a subject staid and wise
      Already half turn'd traitor by surprise

Translations

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

Adaptation of Latin trāditor, trāditorem.

Noun

traitor oblique singular, m (oblique plural traitors, nominative singular traitre, nominative plural traitor)

  1. traitor

Related terms

Descendants

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin trāditor, trāditorem.

Noun

traitor m (oblique plural traitors, nominative singular traitors, nominative plural traitor)

  1. traitor

References

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia