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trad·i·tor

(trădĭ-tər)

n. pl. trad·i·to·res (-tôrēz)

One of the early Christians who betrayed fellow Christians during the Roman persecutions.

[Middle English traditour, betrayer, from Latin trāditor, from trāditus, past participle of trādere, to betray, hand over; see TRADITION.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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