betrayed
UK[bɪˈtreɪd]US[bɪˈtreɪd]
v
to be disloyal to someone who trusts you, especially by doing something harmful or dishonest
v
to give information about someone or something to an enemy
v
to show feelings or thoughts that you are trying to hide
Morpheme Breakdown
be
tray
be
thoroughly
tray
Etymology
the word 'betrayed' originates from the middle english 'bitrayen', which was borrowed from the old french 'betrair'. this old french term is a combination of the prefix 'be-' (from latin 'bene', but here used intensively) and the verb 'trair', meaning "to hand over" or "to deceive". the latin root is 'tradere', composed of 'trans-' ("across") and 'dare' ("to give"), literally meaning "to hand over". the semantic journey from the literal act of "handing over" to the modern abstract sense of "being disloyal" is clear: one who betrays metaphorically hands over the trust or safety of another to harm or danger.
Analysis
Structure: be + tray
be- (old english): a prefix with an intensifying or transitive force, meaning "thoroughly" or "about".
tray (middle english, from old french): from the verb 'trair', meaning "to hand over, deceive". ultimately from latin 'tradere', meaning "to hand over".
Examples
she felt deeply hurt when her closest friend betrayed her confidence.
the agent was accused of betraying state secrets to a foreign power.
his trembling hands betrayed his nervousness despite his calm voice.