Date: 800-900
Language: Late Latin
Origin: Greek martys 'witness'


1 noun
mar‧tyr1 [countable]
1RR someone who dies for their religious or political beliefs and is admired by people for this:
St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr
martyr to
He was a martyr to the cause of racial harmony.
The army has been held back because the government is reluctant to make martyrs of the protesters.
2 someone who tries hard to get other people's sympathy by complaining about how hard their life is - used to show disapproval:
I think she rather relishes the role of martyr.

be a martyr to something

British English spoken to suffer a lot because of an illness, problem, or bad situation:
She's a martyr to her arthritis.

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