BETRAYING

Etymology

Verb

betraying

present participle of betray

Noun

betraying (plural betrayings)

betrayal

Oh, by what plots, by what forswearings, betrayings, oppressions, imprisonments, tortures, poisonings, and under what reasons of state and politic subtilty, have these forenamed kings […] pulled the vengeance of God upon themselves […]

Source: Wiktionary


BETRAY

Be*tray", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Betraying.] Etym: [OE. betraien, bitraien; pref. be- + OF. traïr to bertray, F. trahir, fr. L. tradere. See Traitor.]

1. To deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in violation of trust; to give up treacherously or faithlessly; as, an officer betrayed the city. Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men. Matt. xvii. 22.

2. To prove faithless or treacherous to, as to a trust or one who trusts; to be false to; to deceive; as, to betray a person or a cause. But when I rise, I shall find my legs betraying me. Johnson.

3. To violate the confidence of, by disclosing a secret, or that which one is bound in honor not to make known. Willing to serve or betray any government for hire. Macaulay.

4. To disclose or discover, as something which prudence would conceal; to reveal unintentionally. Be swift to hear, but cautious of your tongue, lest you betray your ignorance. T. Watts.

5. To mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen to lead into error or sin. Genius . . . often betrays itself into great errors. T. Watts.

6. To lead astray, as a maiden; to seduce (as under promise of marriage) and then abandon.

7. To show or to indicate; -- said of what is not obvious at first, or would otherwise be concealed. All the names in the country betray great antiquity. Bryant.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

16 June 2025

WINEBERRY

(noun) raspberry of China and Japan having pale pink flowers grown for ornament and for the small red acid fruits


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

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