n.
- a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs.
- a person who displays or exaggerates their suffering or discomfort in order to obtain sympathy or admiration.
v.
kill as a martyr; make a martyr of.
Derivative
- martyrdom n.
- martyrize
or martyrise v.
Etymology
OE martir, via eccles. L. from Gk martur ‘witness’ (in Christian use, ‘martyr’).