betraying
UK[bɪˈtreɪ.ɪŋ]US[bɪˈtreɪ.ɪŋ]
v
being disloyal to someone who trusts you, especially by helping their enemies or revealing their secrets
v
showing feelings or intentions that you are trying to hide
v
failing to protect or support someone or something as you should
Morpheme Breakdown
be
tray
ing
be
to hand over, deliver
tray
to hand over, deliver
ing
Etymology
the verb 'betray' originates from the middle english 'bitrayen', which was borrowed from old french 'betrair'. this, in turn, descended from the vulgar latin 'betradere', a compound of the latin intensive prefix 'b-' (from 'bis', meaning 'twice') and the verb 'tradere', meaning 'to hand over, deliver'. the core latin root 'tradere' itself breaks down into 'trans-' ('across') and 'dare' ('to give'), painting a literal picture of handing something over. over time, the meaning evolved from the physical act of delivery to the figurative act of delivering someone into the hands of their enemies, hence the modern senses of treachery and disloyalty. the '-ing' suffix is a native english grammatical addition forming the present participle.
Analysis
Structure: be + tray + ing
be- (english, intensive/verb-forming prefix); tray (old french, from latin 'tradere', meaning 'to hand over, deliver'); -ing (english, present participle/gerund suffix)
Examples
she felt a deep sense of guilt for betraying her friend's confidence.
his nervous smile was betraying his attempt to appear calm.
the crumbling facade of the building was betraying its former grandeur.