Martyr Definition
märtər
martyred, martyrs
noun
martyrs
Any of those persons who choose to suffer or die rather than give up their faith or principles.
Webster's New World
Any person tortured or killed because of his or her beliefs.
Webster's New World
A person who suffers great pain or misery for a long time.
Webster's New World
One who endures great suffering.
A martyr to arthritis.
American Heritage
A person who assumes an attitude of self-sacrifice or suffering in order to arouse feelings of pity, guilt, etc. in others.
Webster's New World
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verb
martyred, martyrs
To put to death or torture for adherence to a belief.
Webster's New World
To inflict great pain on; torment.
American Heritage
To torture; make suffer greatly; persecute.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
- martyrise
- martyrize
Other Word Forms of Martyr
Noun
Singular:
martyr
Plural:
martyrsOrigin of Martyr
From Middle English, from Old English, itself from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (martyr), later form of μάρτυς (martus, “witness").
From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old English from Late Latin from Late Greek martur from Greek martus martur- witness
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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