different between traitor vs informer

English

Alternative forms

• traitour (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English traitor, traitour, traytour, from Old French traïtor (French traître), from Latin tr?ditor.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?t?e?t?(?)/
• (US) enPR: tr??t?r, IPA^(key): /?t?e?t?/, [?t??e???]
• Homophone: trader (in dialects with flapping)
• Rhymes: -e?t?(?)

Noun

traitor (plural traitors)

1. Someone who violates an allegiance and betrays their country; someone guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers their country to an enemy, or yields up any fort or place entrusted to his defense, or surrenders an army or body of troops to the enemy, unless when vanquished
2. Someone who takes arms and levies war against their country; or one who aids an enemy in conquering his country.
3. Hence, one who betrays any confidence or trust.

   Synonyms: betrayer, fink

Translations

See also

• Benedict Arnold
• Quisling
• Judas

Verb

traitor (third-person singular simple present traitors, present participle traitoring, simple past and past participle traitored)

1. To act the traitor toward; to betray; to deceive.

Translations

Adjective

traitor (comparative more traitor, superlative most traitor)

1. traitorous

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)

Translations

Old French

Alternative forms

• traïtor

Etymology

Adaptation of Latin tr?ditor, tr?ditorem.

Noun

traitor m (oblique plural traitors, nominative singular traitre, nominative plural traitor)

1. traitor

Related terms

• traïson

Descendants

• French: traître
• Norman: traître (Jersey)
• Walloon: traite
• ? Middle English: traytour, traitour, traitor
  • English: traitor
  • ? Middle Irish: trétúir
    • Irish: tréatúir

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin tr?ditor, tr?ditorem.

Noun

traitor m (oblique plural traitors, nominative singular traitors, nominative plural traitor)

1. traitor

References

• von Wartburg, Walther (1928–2002) , “traditor”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 01, page 02

English

Alternative forms

• informor (obsolete, rare)
• informour (obsolete, rare)

Etymology

inform +? -er

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -??(r)m?(r)

Noun

informer (plural informers)

1. One who informs someone else about something.
2. A person who tells authorities about improper or illegal activity.
3. One who informs, animates, or inspires.
   • 1729, Alexander Pope, Prologue to Sophonisba (by James Thomson

     Nature, informer of the poet's art.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:informant

Translations

See also

• name names

Anagrams

• reinform, reniform

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ?nf?rm?, ?nf?rm?re.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??.f??.me/

Verb

informer

1. to inform; to enlighten; to impart knowledge (upon)

2. (reflexive) to inquire

Conjugation

Related terms

• information
• former

Further reading

• “informer” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Latin

Verb

?nf?rmer

1. first-person singular present passive subjunctive of ?nf?rm?

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

informer

1. imperative of informere