martyr

  1. Noun.  One who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after martyrdom.
  2. Noun.  (by extension) One who sacrifices his or her life, station, or what is of great value to him or her, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.
  3. Noun.  (''with a prepositional phrase of cause'') One who suffers greatly and/or constantly, even involuntarily.
  4. Verb.  (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.
  5. Verb.  (transitive) To persecute.
  6. Verb.  (transitive) To torment; to torture.

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This entry was last updated on RefTopia from its source on 3/20/2012.