Where does “martyr” come from?

Martyr comes from Middle English martir, from Old French martire, from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ, ultimately from Ancient Greek μάρτυς meaning witness.

martyr (English): One who willingly accepts being put to death for...

Definitions

  1. One who willingly accepts being put to death for...

Ancestry of “martyr”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishmartirmartyr
2Old Frenchmartiremartyr
3Ecclesiastical Latinmartyrmartyr, especially a Christian martyr
4Ancient GreekμάρτυρAeolic form of μᾰ́ρτῠς
5Ancient Greekμάρτυςwitness; martyr

Words derived from “martyr”

Every word from Ancient Greek μάρτυς →Every word from Ancient Greek μάρτυρ →Every word from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr →