M'ARTYR, noun [Gr. a witness.] One who, by his death, bears witness to the truth of the gospel. Stephen was the first christian martyr To be a martyr signifies only to witness the truth of Christ. 1. One who suffers death in defense of any cause. We say, a man dies a martyr to his political principles or to the cause of liberty. M'ARTYR, verb transitive To put to death for adhering to what one believes to be the truth; to sacrifice one on account of his faith or profession. 1. To murder; to destroy.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI