Where does “treason” come from?
Treason comes from Middle English tresoun, from Latin traditio meaning "a handing over," derived from Latin tradere "to hand over," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root terh₂-.
treason (English): The crime of betraying one’s own country; An act...
Definitions
- The crime of betraying one’s own country; An act...
Ancestry of “treason”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | tresoun | Betrayal; aiding one's enemies or rivals;... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman French | treson | — |
| 3 | Old French | traïson | Alternative form of traison |
| 4 | Latin | trāditiō | a surrender, delivering up |
| 5 | Latin | -tiō | tion, -ation, -ing |
| 6 | Latin | dissertātiō | (spoken) dissertation, discourse, disquisition |
| 7 | Latin | dissertus | arranged, disposed; explained |
| 8 | Latin | disserere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 9 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 10 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 11 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 12 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |