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martyr

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

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From Middle English martir, from Old English martyr, itself a borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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martyr (plural martyrs)

  1. One who willingly accepts being put to death or willingly accepts challenging and exposing iniquity done to oneself for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after red martyrdom.
    The apostle Stephen was the first Christian martyr.
    • 2017 December 16, “These priests were martyred for refusing to violate the seal of confession”, in Catholic News Agency‎[1]:
      Fr. Felipe Císcar Puig was a Valencian priest who is also also considered a martyr of the sacramental seal because he was martyred after keeping confessions secret during the religious persecution of the Spanish Civil War.
  2. (by extension) One who sacrifices their life, station, or something of great personal value, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.
  3. (with a prepositional phrase of cause) One who suffers greatly or constantly, even involuntarily.
    Stan is a martyr to arthritis, Chris a martyr to Stan's endless moaning about it.
    • 1937, AJ Cronin, The Citadel:
      He'd been a martyr to asthma all his life.
    • 1982, J. G. Thirlwell, “J.Q. Murder”, in Ache, performed by You've Got Foetus on Your Breath:
      J.Q. Murder wears sandpaper suits
      Broken glass in pocket, barbed wire boots
      Not because he's mean, but because he's a martyr
      He makes Jackie Collins look like Jean-Paul Sartre
  4. (derogatory) Someone who exaggerates their pain and suffering in order to gain sympathy.
    You have a great life! Stop trying to play the martyr!

Antonyms

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Hyponyms

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  • shaheed, shahid (martyr in Arabic, carrying the same etymological root of “witness”)

Derived terms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb

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martyr (third-person singular simple present martyrs, present participle martyring, simple past and past participle martyred)

  1. (transitive) To make someone into a martyr by putting them to death for adhering to, or acting in accordance with, some belief, especially religious; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.
    • 2017 December 16, “These priests were martyred for refusing to violate the seal of confession”, in Catholic News Agency‎[2]:
      Fr. Felipe Císcar Puig was a Valencian priest who is also also considered a martyr of the sacramental seal because he was martyred after keeping confessions secret during the religious persecution of the Spanish Civil War.
  2. (transitive) To persecute.
    Some religious and other minorities were martyred until extinction.
  3. (transitive) To torment; to torture.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “martyr”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Danish

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Etymology

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From Old Danish martir. Borrowed via Ecclesiastical Latin martyr from Ancient Greek μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈmɑːˌtˢyɐ̯ˀ]

Noun

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martyr c (singular definite martyren, plural indefinite martyrer)

  1. martyr

Declension

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Declension of martyr
common
gender 		singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative martyr martyren martyrer martyrerne
genitive martyrs martyrens martyrers martyrernes

Derived terms

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References

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French

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old French martire, borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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martyr m (plural martyrs, feminine martyre)

  1. martyr
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Further reading

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Latin

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Etymology

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From Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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martyr m or f (genitive martyris); third declension

  1. (Ecclesiastical Latin) martyr, especially a Christian martyr

Declension

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Third-declension noun.

singular plural
nominative martyr martyrēs
genitive martyris martyrum
dative martyrī martyribus
accusative martyrem martyrēs
ablative martyre martyribus
vocative martyr martyrēs
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Descendants

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References

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Norman

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Etymology

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From Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Noun

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martyr m (plural martyrs)

  1. (religion) martyr

Norwegian Bokmål

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Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Etymology

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Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Noun

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martyr m (definite singular martyren, indefinite plural martyrer, definite plural martyrene)

  1. martyr
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References

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Norwegian Nynorsk

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Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Etymology

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Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Noun

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martyr m (definite singular martyren, indefinite plural martyrar, definite plural martyrane)

  1. martyr
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References

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Old English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Noun

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martyr m

  1. martyr
    • late 10th century, Ælfric, Lives of Saints
      Þā sē hālga martyr mid þām Hālgan Gāst āfylled smearcode mid mūþe and tō þām mānfullan cwæþ "Ūs ġedafenaþ tō offriġenne þām undēadlīċum gode."
      Then the holy martyr, filled with the Holy Spirit, smiled with his mouth and to the evil man said "It benefits us to sacrifice to the immortal God."

Declension

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Strong a-stem:

singular plural
nominative martyr martyras
accusative martyr martyras
genitive martyres martyra
dative martyre martyrum

Derived terms

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References

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Swedish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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martyr c

  1. martyr

Declension

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Declension of martyr
nominative genitive
singular indefinite martyr martyrs
definite martyren martyrens
plural indefinite martyrer martyrers
definite martyrerna martyrernas
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Further reading

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