treason

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.

• IPA^(key): /ˈtɹiː.zən/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːzən

treason (countable and uncountable, plural treasons)

1. The crime of betraying one’s own country.

   Synonyms: perfidiousness, perfidy, treacherousness, treachery

   • c. 1605, John Harington, “42: Of Treason”, in Epigrams (British Library Additional MS. 12049)‎^[1], Book III, folio 75, verso; republished at London: British Library Digitised Manuscripts, 17 September 2020:

     Treaſon doth never [pro]ſper: what's the reaſon? / For yf yt [pro]ſper none dare call yt treaſon

   • 1787 September 17, Alexander Hamilton et al., “Article III, Section 3”, in Constitution of the United States‎^[2], Philadelphia: Jacob Shallus:

     Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unleſs on the Testimony of two Witneſses to the same overt Act, or on Confeſsion in open Court.

   • 1964 November, Richard J. Hofstadter, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics”, in Robert Shnayerson, editor, Harper's Magazine, New York City: Minneapolis Star and Tribune Company:

     If for every error and every act of incompetence one can substitute an act of treason, many points of fascinating interpretation are open to the paranoid imagination: treason in high places can be found at almost every turning.

   • 2013, Lucas Pope, Papers, Please, scene: Ending 14:

     M. Vonel: 'Your involvement with a group calling themselves THE ORDER OF THE EZIC STAR has been uncovered. […] At least one EZIC member has confessed to receiving your help. This represents treason of the highest order. Goodbye inspector.'

2. An act of treachery, betrayal of trust or confidence.

   Synonyms: betrayal, perfidiousness, perfidy, treachery; see also Thesaurus:betrayal

• sedition

• “treason”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “treason”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “treason”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

• Santore, Senator, anteros, asteron, atoners, nor'-east, nose art, noseart, one-star, orantes, ornates, roneats, rotanes, santero, seatron, senator, tenoras

treason

1. alternative form of tresoun