traitorous
Meaning
involving or characteristic of betrayal of trust or faith.
of or like a traitor.
Structure
Usage
his traitorous actions led to the downfall of the entire operation.
she was accused of having traitorous sympathies for the enemy.
the general was executed for his traitorous conspiracy against the crown.
Etymology
the word 'traitorous' originates from the latin verb 'tradere', meaning 'to hand over' or 'deliver', which is itself a compound of 'trans-' (across) and 'dare' (to give). this literal sense of handing something over evolved metaphorically into the act of betrayal, as in handing someone over to an enemy. the agent noun 'traditor' (traitor) was formed, and the english adjective 'traitorous' developed by adding the adjectival suffix '-ous' to the anglicized stem 'traitor', creating a word that characterizes someone or something as full of the qualities of a betrayer.
Analysis
"trait" from latin 'traditor', meaning 'one who hands over', from the verb 'tradere' (to hand over, deliver, betray). "or" is a latin-derived agent noun suffix. "ous" is a latin-derived suffix forming adjectives meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by'.