martyr Hear it!

martyr Definition

mar·tyr (märt′ər)

noun

    1. any of those persons who choose to suffer or die rather than give up their faith or principles
    2. any person tortured or killed because of his or her beliefs
  2. a person who suffers great pain or misery for a long time
  3. a person who assumes an attitude of self-sacrifice or suffering in order to arouse feelings of pity, guilt, etc. in others

Etymology: ME martir < OE < LL(Ec) < Gr martyr, martys, a witness (LGr(Ec), martyr) < IE base *(s)mer-, to remember, care > L memor, mindful, Sans smárati, (he) remembers

transitive verb

  1. to put to death or torture for adherence to a belief
  2. to torture; make suffer greatly; persecute

martyr Synonyms

martyr

n.

sufferer, offering, scapegoat; see saint 2, victim 1.

martyr Usage Examples

Object

saint: Chinese Gordon became more famous as a martyred warrior saint by his death at Khartoum.

Converse of object

  • venerate: A martyr venerated from early times in Carthage in North Africa.
  • commemorate: Several traditional Anabaptist songs were written by women or commemorated the many women martyrs.
  • die: St Catherine herself was a Christian Egyptian woman who died a martyr for her beliefs.
  • burn: There is also a memorial to Richard Woodman, who was a Sussex martyr burnt at the stake in Lewes.

Subject

  • Dane: He was martyred by the Danes, together with other monks.
  • Saracen: By tradition the Abbot and the monks were martyred by the Saracens.
  • pagan: He was martyred by pagans whose savage customs he had denounced.

Adjective modifier

  • venerable: Glory: Exapostilarion of the venerable martyr: Spec.
  • virgin: A virgin martyr in Rome whose relics are now venerated in Los Angeles, of which she is the main patron-saint.
  • metric: Meanwhile, the Metric Martyrs have kept themselves busy.
  • Protestant: There were 283 Protestant martyrs burnt at the stake in her reign.
  • holy: Robert Moses: master builder, power broker, or holy martyr?
  • Christian: The early Christian martyrs talked of death with a horrible happiness.

Possessives

  • crown: We are not called upon to wear the martyr's crown, but it is ours to share the martyr's faith.
  • death: James is said to have suffered a martyr's death.

Preposition: of

reformation: The first two martyrs of the Reformation, St. John Houghton and Robert Lawrence lived at Beauvale.

Preposition: by

  • Dane: He was martyred by the Danes, together with other monks.
  • Saracen: By tradition the Abbot and the monks were martyred by the Saracens.
  • pagan: He was martyred by pagans whose savage customs he had denounced.