martyr

[mahr-ter] /ˈmɑr tər/
noun
1.
a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her religion.
2.
a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause:
a martyr to the cause of social justice.
3.
a person who undergoes severe or constant suffering:
a martyr to severe headaches.
4.
a person who seeks sympathy or attention by feigning or exaggerating pain, deprivation, etc.
verb (used with object)
5.
to make a martyr of, especially by putting to death.
6.
to torment or torture.
Origin
before 900; (noun) Middle English marter, Old English martyr < Late Latin < Late Greek mártyr, variant of Greek mártys, mártyros witness; (v.) Middle English martiren, Old English martyrian, derivative of noun
Related forms
martyrish, adjective
martyrly, adverb, adjective
unmartyred, adjective
Examples from the web for martyr
  • It would be a grievous understatement to call her a mere martyr.
  • He was a martyr for his country and his world.
  • One of the suspects wanted to die a martyr, a police officer said in court.
  • I've failed in my mission to recruit another martyr.
  • You must sometimes martyr yourself, taking the arrows meant for your flock.
  • The guy was made a martyr.
  • If it makes you happy to sacrifice yourself, then be a martyr.
  • He was declared the "first martyr" of the protest.
  • There is no reason to be a martyr.
  • The mayor can no longer reap easy popularity by presenting himself as a martyr.
British Dictionary definitions for martyr

martyr

/ˈmɑːtə/
noun
1.
a person who suffers death rather than renounce his religious beliefs
2.
a person who suffers greatly or dies for a cause, belief, etc
3.
a person who suffers from poor health, misfortune, etc: he's a martyr to rheumatism
4.
(facetious or derogatory) a person who feigns suffering to gain sympathy, help, etc
verb (transitive)
5.
to kill as a martyr
6.
to make a martyr of
Derived Forms
martyrization, martyrisation, noun
Word Origin
Old English martir, from Church Latin martyr, from Late Greek martur-, martus witness
Word Origin and History for martyr
n.

Old English martyr, from Late Latin martyr, from Doric Greek martyr, earlier martys (genitive martyros) in Christian use "martyr," literally "witness," probably related to mermera "care, trouble," from mermairein "be anxious or thoughtful," from PIE *(s)mrtu- (cf. Sanskrit smarati "remember," Latin memor "mindful;" see memory).

Adopted directly into most Germanic languages, but Norse substituted native formation pislarvattr, literally "torture-witness." General sense of "constant sufferer" is from 1550s. Martyr complex "exaggerated desire for self-sacrifice" is attested from 1920.

v.

Old English martyrian, from martyr (see martyr (n.)). Middle English also had a verb martyrize.

martyr in the Bible

one who bears witness of the truth, and suffers death in the cause of Christ (Acts 22:20; Rev. 2:13; 17:6). In this sense Stephen was the first martyr. The Greek word so rendered in all other cases is translated "witness." (1.) In a court of justice (Matt. 18:16; 26:65; Acts 6:13; 7:58; Heb. 10:28; 1 Tim. 5:19). (2.) As of one bearing testimony to the truth of what he has seen or known (Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8, 22; Rom. 1:9; 1 Thess. 2:5, 10; 1 John 1:2).