martyr

English

Etymology

From Middle English martir, from Old English martyr, itself a borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐːtə(ɹ)/, [ˈmɐːtə(ɹ)], [ˈmɐːɾə(ɹ)]
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑːtə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑɹ.tɚ/, [ˈmɑɹ.ɾɚ]
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)tə(ɹ)

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: mar‧tyr

Noun

martyr (plural martyrs)

1. One who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after martyrdom.

   Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr.

2. (by extension) One who sacrifices his or her life, station, or something of great personal value, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.
3. (with a prepositional phrase of cause) One who suffers greatly and/or constantly, even involuntarily.

   Stan is a martyr to arthritis, Chris a martyr to Stan's endless moaning about it.

   • 1937, AJ Cronin, The Citadel:

     He'd been a martyr to asthma all his life.

Synonyms

• shaheed, shahid

Antonyms

• confessor

Derived terms

• great martyr
• martyr complex
• martyrdom
• martyress
• martyrial
• martyrish
• martyrizate
• martyrize
• martyrizer
• martyrless
• martyrly
• martyrolatry
• martyrship

 

Related terms

• martyrdom
• martyrion
• martyrium
• martyrologe
• martyrologue
• martyrology
• martyry
• protomartyr

 

Translations

one willing to be killed for religion

• Albanian: martir (sq) m
• Arabic: شَهِيد‎ (ar) m (šahīd), شَهِيدَة‎ f (šahīda) (plural: شُهَدَاء‎ m pl (šuhadāʾ))
• Aramaic: ܣܗܕܐ‎ (sahdah)
• Armenian: մարտիրոս (hy) (martiros), նահատակ (hy) (nahatak), վկա (hy) (vka)
• Azerbaijani: şəhid (az)
• Bashkir: шаһит (šahit)
• Belarusian: паку́тнік m (pakútnik), паку́тніца f (pakútnica), му́чальнік m (múčalʹnik), му́чальніца f (múčalʹnica), му́чанік m (múčanik), му́чаніца f (múčanica)
• Bengali: শহীদ (śôhid)
• Bulgarian: мъчени́к (bg) m (mǎčeník), мъчени́чка f (mǎčeníčka)
• Catalan: màrtir (ca) m or f
• Chechen: ӏазапхо (ʿazapχo)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 烈士 (zh) (lièshì), 殉道者 (xùndàozhě)

• Czech: mučedník (cs) m, mučednice f
• Dutch: martelaar (nl) m, martelares f
• Erzya: майсиця (majsicja)
• Esperanto: martiro
• Estonian: märter
• Finnish: marttyyri (fi), shahid
• French: martyr (fr) m, martyre (fr) f, chahîd m, chahid m
• Galician: mártir m or f
• Georgian: წამებული (c̣amebuli), მოწამე (moc̣ame), მარტვილი (marṭvili)
• German: Märtyrer (de) m, Märtyrerin (de) f
• Greek: μάρτυρας (el) m or f (mártyras)
• Hebrew: שָׁהִיד‎ (he) m
• Hindi: शहीद (hi) m (śahīd), शहीदा f (śahīdā)
• Hungarian: mártír (hu), vértanú (hu)
• Icelandic: píslarvottur m
• Indonesian: syahid (id), martir (id)
• Italian: martire (it) m
• Japanese: 殉教者 (じゅんきょうしゃ, junkyōsha), シャヒード (shahīdo)
• Kazakh: шаһит (şahït), шейіт (şeyit)
• Korean: 순교자 (sun-gyoja), 샤히드 (syahideu)
• Kumyk: шагьит (şahit)

• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: şehîd (ku)

• Macedonian: маченик m (mačenik), маченичка f (mačenička)
• Malay: syahid
• Maori: matira
• Norman: martyr m
• Norwegian: martyr (no) m
• Ottoman Turkish: شهید‎
• Pashto: شهيد‎ (ps) m (šahíd)
• Persian: شهید‎ (fa) (šahid)
• Polish: męczennik (pl) m pers, męczennica (pl) f
• Portuguese: mártir (pt) m
• Punjabi: ਸ਼ਹੀਦ (pa) (śahīd)
• Romanian: mucenic (ro) m, muceniță (ro) f
• Russian: му́ченик (ru) m (múčenik), му́ченица (ru) f (múčenica), шахи́д (ru) m (šaxíd), шахи́дка (ru) f (šaxídka)
• Scottish Gaelic: martair m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мученик m, шехид m (Islam)

  Roman: mučenik (sh) m, šehid m (Islam)

• Slovak: mučeník m, mučeníčka f, martýr m, martýrka f
• Slovene: mučenik m, mučenica f
• Spanish: mártir (es) m
• Swedish: martyr (sv) c
• Tajik: шаҳид (šahid)
• Tatar: шаһит (tt) (şahit)
• Turkish: şehit (tr), gazi (tr), şehitler pl, gaziler pl, mücahit (tr), mücahid (tr)
• Turkmen: şahit
• Ukrainian: му́ченик m (múčenyk), му́чениця f (múčenycja)
• Urdu: شہید‎ m (šahīd)
• Uyghur: شاھىت‎ (shahit)
• Uzbek: shahid (uz)
• Volapük: (♂♀) martüran (vo), (♂) himartüran (vo), (♀) jimartüran (vo)
• Welsh: merthyr (cy) m
• Zazaki: şehid, şehîd

one who sacrifices their life for an important cause

• Armenian: նահատակ (hy) (nahatak)
• Catalan: màrtir (ca) m or f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 烈士 (zh) (lièshì)

• Dutch: martelaar (nl) m
• Estonian: märter
• Finnish: marttyyri (fi)
• French: martyr (fr) m
• Greek: μάρτυρας (el) m or f (mártyras)
• Hindi: शहीद (hi) m (śahīd)
• Hungarian: mártír (hu), vértanú (hu)
• Italian: martire (it) m

• Japanese: 殉教者 (じゅんきょうしゃ, junkyōsha)
• Norwegian: martyr (no) m
• Persian: شهید‎ (fa) (shahid)
• Polish: męczennik (pl) m pers
• Portuguese: mártir (pt) m
• Romanian: martir (ro)
• Russian: му́ченик (ru) m (múčenik), му́ченица (ru) f (múčenica)
• Scottish Gaelic: martair m
• Serbo-Croatian: мученик m, mučenik (sh) m
• Spanish: mártir (es) m
• Swedish: martyr (sv) c
• Turkish: şehit (tr)
• Welsh: merthyr (cy) m

one who suffers greatly, even involuntarily

• Catalan: màrtir (ca) m or f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 受難者 (zh), 受难者 (zh) (shòunànzhě)

• Dutch: martelaar (nl) m
• Estonian: märter
• Finnish: uhri (fi)
• French: martyr (fr) m
• Greek: μάρτυρας (el) m or f (mártyras)
• Hungarian: mártír (hu)

• Italian: martire (it)
• Japanese: 受難者 (junansha)
• Norwegian: martyr (no) m
• Portuguese: mártir (pt) m
• Russian: му́ченик (ru) m (múčenik), му́ченица (ru) f (múčenica), страда́лец (ru) m (stradálec), страда́лица (ru) f (stradálica)
• Scottish Gaelic: martair m
• Spanish: mártir (es) m
• Swedish: martyr (sv) c
• Turkish: mücahit (tr), mücahitler pl

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} martyr (fr) m, ^{(please verify)} martyre (fr) f
• German: ^{(please verify)} Märtyrer (de) m
• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} martyr
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 순교자 (sun-gyoja)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} şehîd (ku)

• Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} martyr (no) m
• Persian: ^{(please verify)} شهید‎ (fa) (šahid)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} мученик m

  Roman: ^{(please verify)} mučenik (sh) m

• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} mučenik (sh) m
• Serbo-Croatian: ^{(please verify)} mučenik (sh) m, ^{(please verify)} šehit (sh) m
• Swedish: ^{(please verify)} martyr (sv)
• Urdu: ^{(please verify)} شہید‎ m (šahīd)
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} martüran (vo)

Verb

martyr (third-person singular simple present martyrs, present participle martyring, simple past and past participle martyred)

1. (transitive) To make someone into a martyr by putting him or her to death for adhering to, or acting in accordance with, some belief, especially religious; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.
2. (transitive) To persecute.

   Some religious and other minorities were martyred until extinction.

3. (transitive) To torment; to torture.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Qveene. […], part II (books IV–VI), London: […] [Richard Field] for VVilliam Ponsonbie, OCLC 932900760, book IIII, canto VII, stanza 2, page 94:

     […] The louely Amoret,​whoſe gentle hart
     Thou martyreſt with ſorow and with ſmart, […]

Synonyms

• martyrize

Derived terms

• martyrer

Translations

to make someone a martyr

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 使殉难, 处死 (zh)

• Finnish: tehdä (jostakin) marttyyri
• French: martyriser (fr)

• Hindi: शहीद करना (śahīd karnā), क़ुरबान करना (qurbān karnā)
• Polish: zadać męczeńską śmierć
• Portuguese: martirizar (pt)
• Romanian: martiriza (ro)
• Spanish: martirizar (es)

persecute — see persecute

torture — see torture

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Danish

Etymology

From Old Danish martir. Borrowed via Ecclesiastical Latin martyr from Ancient Greek μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmɑːˌtˢyɐ̯ˀ]

Noun

martyr c (singular definite martyren, plural indefinite martyrer)

1. martyr

Declension

Declension of martyr

common gender	Singular		Plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	martyr	martyren	martyrer	martyrerne
genitive	martyrs	martyrens	martyrers	martyrernes

References

• “martyr” in Den Danske Ordbog

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French

Etymology

From Old French martire, borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maʁ.tiʁ/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

martyr m (plural martyrs, feminine martyre)

1. martyr

Related terms

• martyre

Further reading

• “martyr” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈmar.tyr/, [ˈmar.t̪ʏr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmar.tir/, [ˈmar.t̪ir]

Noun

martyr m or f (genitive martyris); third declension

1. (Ecclesiastical Latin) martyr, especially a Christian martyr

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	martyr	martyrēs
Genitive	martyris	martyrum
Dative	martyrī	martyribus
Accusative	martyrem	martyrēs
Ablative	martyre	martyribus
Vocative	martyr	martyrēs

Related terms

• martyrium

Descendants

• → Danish: martyr
• → Dutch: martelaar
• → Estonian: märter
• → Finnish: marttyyri
• → German: Märtyrer
• → Hungarian: mártír
• Lombard: màrtul
• → Norwegian: martyr
• → Old French: martire
  • French: martyr
  • → Middle English: martir
    • Scots: mairtyr
    • English: martyr
      • → Maori: matira
  • Norman: martyr
• → Italian: martire
• Neapolitan: marture
• Old Italian: martore
• → Old Occitan:
  • Catalan: màrtir
  • Occitan: martir
• → Old Portuguese:
  • Galician: mártir
  • Portuguese: mártir
• Romanian: martor
• Sardinian: màrturu
• → Scottish Gaelic: martair
• → Spanish: mártir
  • → Tagalog: martir
• → Swedish: martyr

References

• martyr in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• martyr in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)

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Norman

Etymology

From Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Noun

martyr m (plural martyrs)

1. (religion) martyr

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Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Noun

martyr m (definite singular martyren, indefinite plural martyrer, definite plural martyrene)

1. martyr

Related terms

• martre
• martyrdød
• martyrium

References

• “martyr” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

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Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Noun

martyr m (definite singular martyren, indefinite plural martyrar, definite plural martyrane)

1. martyr

Related terms

• martyrdød
• martyrium

References

• “martyr” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

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Old English

Alternative forms

• martyre, martir

Etymology

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Noun

martyr m

1. martyr

Declension

Declension of martyr (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	martyr	martyras
accusative	martyr	martyras
genitive	martyres	martyra
dative	martyre	martyrum

Derived terms

• martyrcynn
• martyrdōm
• martyrhād
• martyrian
• martyrracu
• martyrung

 

References

• martyr in Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary

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Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ (mártur), later form of μάρτυς (mártus, “witness”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -yːr

Noun

martyr c

1. martyr

Declension

Declension of martyr
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	martyr	martyren	martyrer	martyrerna
Genitive	martyrs	martyrens	martyrers	martyrernas

Related terms

• martyrskap