martyr

Meanings

Noun

• One who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after martyrdom.
• One who sacrifices their life, station, or something of great personal value, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.
• One who suffers greatly and/or constantly, even involuntarily.

Verb

• 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.
• To persecute.
• To torment; to torture.

Related

Similar words

• martyrize

Opposite words

• confessor

Narrower meaning words

• shaheed, shahid (a martyr for Islam)

Origin

• From Middle English martir, from Old English martyr, itself a borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ, later form of μάρτυς.