martyr
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
Contents |
[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From Middle English < Old English, itself from Latin martyr < Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (martyr), later form of μάρτυς (martys) "witness".
[edit] Pronunciation
- Audio (US)help, file
- Rhymes: -ɑː(r)tə(r)
[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
martyr (plural martyrs)
- One who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after martyrdom.
- Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr.
- (by extension) One who sacrifices his or her life, station, or what is of great value to him or her, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.
- (with a prepositional phrase of cause) One who suffers greatly and/or constantly, even involuntarily.
- Stan is a martyr to arthritis, Chris a martyr to Stan's endless moaning about it.
[edit] Antonyms
[edit] Derived terms
Derived terms
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
one willing to be killed for religion
one who sacrifices their life for an important cause
one who suffers greatly, even involuntarily
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[edit] Verb
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Infinitive |
Third person singular |
Simple past |
Past participle |
Present participle |
to martyr (third-person singular simple present martyrs, present participle martyring, simple past and past participle martyred)
- (transitive) To make someone into a martyr by putting him or her to death for adhering to, or acting in accordance with, some belief, especially religious; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.
- (transitive) To persecute.
- Some religious and other minorities were martyred until extinction.
- (transitive) To torment; to torture.
- The lovely Amoret, whose gentle heart
- Thou martyrest with sorrow and with smart. — Spenser
[edit] Synonyms
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
to make someone a martyr
persecute — see persecute
torture — see torture
[edit] Norwegian
[edit] Etymology
From Latin martyr < Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (martyr), later form of μάρτυς (martys) "witness".
[edit] Noun
martyr
- A martyr.
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Inflection
Inflection of martyr
