Added 9 October 2026
treason
/ˈtɹiː.zən/ noun
In Latin: prōditiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about treason at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A crime that undermines the offender's government.
- Disloyalty by virtue of subversive behavior.
- An act of deliberate betrayal.
Origin
From Middle English tresoun, treison, from Anglo-Norman treson, from Old French traïson (“treason”), from trair, or from Latin trāditiō (“a giving up, handing over, surrender, delivery, tradition”), from trādō (“give up, hand over, deliver over, betray”, verb), from trāns- (“over, across”) + dō (“give”). Doublet of tradition and traitor; also related to betray.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)