entry
traitor
/ˈtɹeɪtə(ɹ)/One who betrays trust, loyalty, or country
From Latin trans (across) + Latin da (give).
from Old French traitor , traitre "traitor, villain, deceiver" (11c., Modern French traître )
+1 more sourcefrom PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). The English word was originally usually with a suggestion of Judas Iscariot. The...
from Latin traditor "betrayer," literally "one who delivers" (source also of Spanish traidor , Italian traditore ; the...
+1 more sourcefrom Old French traitor , traitre "traitor, villain, deceiver" (11c., Modern French traître )
+1 more sourcefrom Old French traitor , traitre "traitor, villain, deceiver" (11c., Modern French traître )
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Old French traitor , traitre "traitor, villain, deceiver" (11c., Modern French traître )
+1 more sourcefrom PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). The English word was originally usually with a suggestion of Judas Iscariot. The...
from Latin traditor "betrayer," literally "one who delivers" (source also of Spanish traidor , Italian traditore ; the...
+1 more sourcefrom Old French traitor , traitre "traitor, villain, deceiver" (11c., Modern French traître )
+1 more sourcefrom Old French traitor , traitre "traitor, villain, deceiver" (11c., Modern French traître )
+1 more sourceThis word starts life as a handoff gone rotten. In Latin, trādere meant “to hand over,” built from trāns, “across,” plus dare, “to give,” so the original idea was almost mundane—passing something from one person to another. But once a thing can be handed over, it can also be surrendered, and then, with one nasty twist, betrayed; that’s how Latin traditor became a “betrayer,” and medieval English heard in it the shadow of Judas. The same family gives us treason and tradition, which is a wild pair: one is the crime of giving a kingdom away, the other is the handing down of beliefs and customs. So a traitor is not just someone who lies; he’s someone who takes the ordinary act of giving and makes it poisonous, like a handshake that turns into a knife.
The Story
This word starts life as a handoff gone rotten. In Latin, trādere meant “to hand over,” built from trāns, “across,” plus dare, “to give,” so the original idea was almost mundane—passing something from one person to another. But once a thing can be handed over, it can also be surrendered, and then, with one nasty twist, betrayed; that’s how Latin traditor became a “betrayer,” and medieval English heard in it the shadow of Judas. The same family gives us treason and tradition, which is a wild pair: one is the crime of giving a kingdom away, the other is the handing down of beliefs and customs. So a traitor is not just someone who lies; he’s someone who takes the ordinary act of giving and makes it poisonous, like a handshake that turns into a knife.
Modern Usage
an insult for someone seen as disloyal or as having crossed an in-group line
Popularized by: internet slang and online social conflict language
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary usage for friendship betrayal and relationship disloyalty
Kin & Kindred
From 'trans'·across, over, beyond
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'da'·give
Derived Terms
English words from this root