English word martyr comes from Ancient Greek μάρτυρος, and later Middle English martir (Martyr.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| μάρτυρος | Ancient Greek (grc) | |
| μάρτυρ | Ancient Greek (grc) | |
| martyr | Ecclesiastical Latin (la-ecc) | |
| martir | Old English (ang) | |
| martir | Middle English (enm) | Martyr. |
| martyr | English (eng) | (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.. (with a prepositional phrase of cause) One who suffers greatly and/or constantly, even involuntarily.. One who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after martyrdom. [...] |