Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Betray — Be*tray (b[ e]*tr[=a] ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Betrayed} ( tr[=a]d ); p. pr. & vb. n. {Betraying}.] [OE. betraien, bitraien; pref. be + OF. tra[ i]r to betray, F. trahir, fr. L. tradere. See {Traitor}.] 1. To deliver into the hands of an enemy by… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
betray — (v.) late 13c., bitrayen mislead, deceive, betray, from BE (Cf. be ) + obsolete M.E. tray, from O.Fr. traine betrayal, deception, deceit, from trair (Mod.Fr. trahir) betray, deceive, from L. tradere hand over, from trans across (see … Etymology dictionary
betray — [v1] be disloyal abandon, be unfaithful, bite the hand that feeds you*, blow the whistle*, bluff, break faith, break promise, break trust, break with, commit treason, cross, deceive, deliver up*, delude, desert, double cross, finger*, forsake, go … New thesaurus
betray — [bē trā′, bitrā′] vt. [ME bitraien < be , intens. + traien, betray < OFr trair < L tradere, to hand over: see TREASON] 1. a) to help the enemy of (one s country, cause, etc.); be a traitor to b) to deliver or expose to an enemy… … English World dictionary
betray — I (disclose) verb acknowledge, admit, air, aperire, avow, bare, bear witness against, bring into the open, bring to light, come clean, confess, declare, detegere, divulge, double cross, expose, give away, give utterance to, impart, inform, inform … Law dictionary
betray — 1 mislead, delude, *deceive, beguile, double cross Analogous words: trap, entrap, snare, ensnare (see CATCH): *dupe, trick, befool, hoodwink, gull 2 discover, *reveal, disclose, divulge, tell Analogous words: manifest, evidence, evince, * … New Dictionary of Synonyms
betray — ► VERB 1) act treacherously towards (a person, country, etc.) by revealing information to or otherwise aiding an enemy. 2) be disloyal to. 3) unintentionally reveal; be evidence of. DERIVATIVES betrayal noun betrayer noun. ORIGIN from Old French… … English terms dictionary
betray */*/ — UK [bɪˈtreɪ] / US verb [transitive] Word forms betray : present tense I/you/we/they betray he/she/it betrays present participle betraying past tense betrayed past participle betrayed 1) a) if you betray your country, or if you betray someone who… … English dictionary
betray — be|tray [bıˈtreı] v [T] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(friends)¦ 2¦(country)¦ 3¦(emotions)¦ 4¦(truth)¦ 5 betray your beliefs/principles/ideals etc ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ [Date: 1200 1300; Origin: tray to betray (13 16 centuries), from Old French traïr, from Latin tradere; TRAITOR] … Dictionary of contemporary English
betray — be|tray [ bı treı ] verb transitive ** 1. ) if you betray your country, or you betray someone who needs your support, you deliberately do something that harms them or helps their opponents: In wartime many people accused of betraying their… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
betray — [[t]bɪtre͟ɪ[/t]] betrays, betraying, betrayed 1) VERB If you betray someone who loves or trusts you, your actions hurt and disappoint them. [V n] When I tell someone I will not betray his confidence I keep my word... [V n] The President betrayed… … English dictionary
