treason
[ tree-zuh n ]
/ ˈtri zən /
noun
the offense of acting to overthrow one's government or to harm or kill its sovereign.
a violation of allegiance to one's sovereign or to one's state.
the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.
Origin of treason
1175–1225; Middle English
tre(i)so(u)n < Anglo-French; Old French
traïson < Latin
trāditiōn- (stem of
trāditiō) a handing over, betrayal. See
tradition
synonym study for treason
1.
Treason ,
sedition mean disloyalty or treachery to one's country or its government.
Treason is any attempt to overthrow the government or impair the well-being of a state to which one owes allegiance; the crime of giving aid or comfort to the enemies of one's government.
Sedition is any act, writing, speech, etc., directed unlawfully against state authority, the government, or constitution, or calculated to bring it into contempt or to incite others to hostility, ill will or disaffection; it does not amount to treason and therefore is not a capital offense.
2. See
disloyalty.
OTHER WORDS FROM treason
su·per·trea·son, nounWords nearby treason
tread the boards,
tread water,
treadle,
treadmill,
treas.,
treason,
treasonable,
treasonous,
treasr.,
treasure,
treasure flower
Example sentences from the Web for treason
British Dictionary definitions for treason
treason
/ (ˈtriːzən) /
noun
violation or betrayal of the allegiance that a person owes his sovereign or his country, esp by attempting to overthrow the government; high treason
any treachery or betrayal
Derived forms of treason
treasonable or treasonous, adjective treasonableness, noun treasonably, adverbWord Origin for treason
C13: from Old French
traïson, from Latin
trāditiō a handing over; see
tradition,
traditor