Treason
- Treason
- Treason Trea"son, n. [OE. tresun, treisun, traisoun, OF.
tra["i]son, F. trahison, L. traditio a giving up, a
delivering up, fr. tradere to give up, betray. See {Traitor},
and cf. {Tradition}.]
1. The offense of attempting to overthrow the government of
the state to which the offender owes allegiance, or of
betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power;
disloyalty; treachery.
[1913 Webster]
The treason of the murthering in the bed. --Chaucer.
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Note: In monarchies, the killing of the sovereign, or an
attempt to take his life, is treason. In England, to
imagine or compass the death of the king, or of the
queen consort, or of the heir apparent to the crown, is
high treason, as are many other offenses created by
statute. In the United States, treason is confined to
the actual levying of war against the United States, or
to an adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and
comfort.
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2. Loosely, the betrayal of any trust or confidence;
treachery; perfidy.
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If he be false, she shall his treason see.
--Chaucer.
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{Petit treason}. See under {Petit}.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
2000.
:
Look at other dictionaries:
treason — trea·son / trēz ən/ n [Anglo French treison crime of violence against a person to whom allegiance is owed, literally, betrayal, from Old French traïson, from traïr to betray, from Latin tradere to hand over, surrender]: the offense of attempting… … Law dictionary
treason — (n.) early 13c., from Anglo Fr. treson, from O.Fr. traison (11c.; Mod.Fr. trahison), from L. traditionem (nom. traditio) a handing over, delivery, surrender (see TRADITION (Cf. tradition)). Old French form influenced by the verb trair betray. In… … Etymology dictionary
treason — (also high treason) ► NOUN ▪ the crime of betraying one s country, especially by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or government. DERIVATIVES treasonable adjective treasonous adjective. ORIGIN Old French treisoun, from Latin tradere… … English terms dictionary
treason — *sedition Analogous words: revolution, revolt, rebellion, uprising, insurrection: betrayal, deceiving or deception, double crossing (see corresponding verbs at DECEIVE): overthrowing or overthrow, subverting or subversion (see corresponding verbs … New Dictionary of Synonyms
treason — [n] disloyalty breach of faith, crime, deceit, deceitfulness, deception, disaffection, dishonesty, duplicity, faithlessness, lèsemajesté, mutiny, perfidy, revolt, revolutionary, sedition, seditious act, seditiousness, subversion, traitorousness,… … New thesaurus
treason — [trē′zən] n. [ME treison < OFr traïson < L traditio < pp. of tradere, to give or deliver over or up < trans , TRANS + dare, to give: see DATE1] 1. Now Rare betrayal of trust or faith; treachery 2. violation of the allegiance owed to… … English World dictionary
Treason — In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one s sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife (treason… … Wikipedia
treason — A breach of allegiance to one s government, usually committed through levying war against such government or by giving aid or comfort to the enemy. The offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the… … Black's law dictionary
treason — /tree zeuhn/, n. 1. the offense of acting to overthrow one s government or to harm or kill its sovereign. 2. a violation of allegiance to one s sovereign or to one s state. 3. the betrayal of a trust or confidence; breach of faith; treachery.… … Universalium
treason — n. 1) to commit; plot treason 2) high treason 3) an act of treason 4) treason to + inf. (it is treason to sell military information to a foreign power) * * * [ triːz(ə)n] plot treason an act of treason hightreason to commit treason to + inf. (it… … Combinatory dictionary
