Etymologically
Log in

betrayal

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 26 October 2026 at 00:09. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • /bɪˈtɹeɪəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English betray + -al.[2][3] The verb betray is bitraien, from bi- and the obsolete traien (“to betray”),[2][3] from Old French traïr, from Latin trādō (“to hand over, deliver”).[3][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The act of betraying: 1798, according to Etymonline.[2] The OED's first quotation is from 1817, in Southey's writing in the Quarterly Review, for the treacherous handing over of someone to an enemy;[3][4] the first edition of the OED had dated it to 1816.[5]

Semantic evolution

Before betrayal, English used betrayment (from the 1540s) and betraying (from the late 14th century) in the same sense.[2] In 1873 Fitzedward Hall remarked that betrayal, which he thought more pleasant to the ear than betrayment, had completely replaced it, and that Byron, Southey, Milman and Whately had made it so familiar that it was hard to believe how new it was.[2] From 1826, again in Southey, it meant a breach of trust or confidence,[3][4] then from 1873 the giving away of something that ought to be kept secret.[3][4] This last use follows the verb, which had meant to show unintentionally from the 1580s and to reveal in breach of confidence from 1735.[2]

Timeline

  • 1798 – the act of betraying.[2]
  • 1817 – a treacherous handing over to an enemy.[3][4]
  • 1826 – a breach of trust or confidence.[3][4]
  • 1873 – a revealing of something that should be kept secret.[3][4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. The act of betraying a person, group, country or cause, or the fact of being betrayed; treachery: The players saw the coach's move to a rival club as a betrayal.[6][7][3]
  2. A breach of trust or confidence placed in someone.[3][7]
  3. The revealing of something that ought to stay hidden, or a sign that gives away a feeling: Her quick glance at the door was a betrayal of her nerves.[3][6]

Word family

  • self-betrayal
  • betray
  • betrayment

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e f Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  5. ^ Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press