betrayer
UK[bɪˈtreɪə]US[bɪˈtreɪər]
n
a person who betrays someone or something, such as a friend, cause, or principle.
Morpheme Breakdown
be
tray
er
be
tray
to hand over
er
one who does
Etymology
the word 'betrayer' is built upon the verb 'betray', which entered english from old french 'trair' with the intensifying prefix 'be-'. the french term traces back to the latin verb 'tradere', a compound of 'trans-' (across) and 'dare' (to give), literally meaning 'to hand over'. this concrete act of handing something over evolved semantically to signify the treacherous act of delivering someone into the hands of an enemy, hence 'to deceive'. the agent suffix '-er' is then appended, following a common germanic pattern, to denote the person who performs this action of betrayal.
Analysis
Structure: be + tray + er
be- (old english, prefix with intensifying or completive force)
tray (middle english, from old french 'trair', meaning 'to betray', ultimately from latin 'tradere' meaning 'to hand over')
-er (old english, agent noun suffix meaning 'one who does')
Examples
he was condemned as a betrayer of the revolution.
in the story, the trusted advisor is revealed to be the betrayer.
history often remembers the betrayer more vividly than the loyal follower.