Wiktionary

traitor

See also: traïtor

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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. Doublet of traditor.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

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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.
    After World War I, the communists and Jews were accused to be traitors by the German right wing (the "stab-in-the-back myth"), ultimately culminating in their persecution and massacre.
  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[2], 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

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Hyponyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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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

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Adjective

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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

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Old French

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Adaptation of Latin trāditor, trāditorem.

Noun

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

  1. traitor
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Descendants

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Old Occitan

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Etymology

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From Latin trāditor, trāditorem.

Noun

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

  1. traitor

References

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