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“martyrs”
1. Someone who chooses to suffer death rather than to renounce his or her religious principles: Many early Christians are believed to have been martyrs because of their beliefs.
2. A person who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, a cause, or a principle: Jason's cousin was a martyr because of his efforts to save the woman who was drowning when her car swerved off the road into the river.
4. Those who make a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy: Mark said he was a martyr at his job because he was required to work harder than normally in order to complete his assigned projects.
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2. A person who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, a cause, or a principle: Jason's cousin was a martyr because of his efforts to save the woman who was drowning when her car swerved off the road into the river.
Madelyn served as a martyr because she donated so much time and effort at least three times a week to feed the homeless people in her community.
3. Anyone who endures great suffering: Marge was a martyr to arthritis.4. Those who make a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy: Mark said he was a martyr at his job because he was required to work harder than normally in order to complete his assigned projects.
Most original martyrs died instead of renouncing their religious beliefs.
The Greeks gave us the word which meant "witness (for Christ)". Those who went around preaching the gospel in the early days of Christianity often had to suffer stoning, crucifixion, or maybe become victims of gladiators or lions in the arenas by the less-than-tolerant Romans.
As a result of such treatment, the word martyr has become associated with suffering and death for a belief or for trying to do something that is considered to be a worthy cause."
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martyr (verb), martyrs; martyred; martyring
1. To kill someone for holding certain beliefs: "The woman was martyred because she refused to become a member of another religious group."
2. To kill somebody for refusing to deny a strongly held belief; especially, a religious belief: "The terrorists were in the process of martyring a young girl because she was publicly known in Pakistan to advocate education for all girls."
3. To bring difficulties, suffering, or hardship on oneself for a belief: "The young man said he was willing to martyr himself, if necessary, in order to overthrow the ruler of his country."
2. To kill somebody for refusing to deny a strongly held belief; especially, a religious belief: "The terrorists were in the process of martyring a young girl because she was publicly known in Pakistan to advocate education for all girls."
3. To bring difficulties, suffering, or hardship on oneself for a belief: "The young man said he was willing to martyr himself, if necessary, in order to overthrow the ruler of his country."
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“martyrs”
Anyone who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, a cause, or a principle. (1)
This entry is located in the following unit:
Word a Day Revisited Index of Cartoons Illustrating the Meanings of Words
(page 53)