Adjacent Words

Treason definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TREASON, n. tree'zn. [L. traho. See Draw and Drag.]
Treason is the highest crime of a civil nature of which a man can be guilty. Its signification is different in different countries. In general, it is the offense of attempting to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance, or of betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power. In monarchies, the killing of the king, or an attempt to take his life, is treason. In England, to imagine or compass the death of the king, or of the prince, or of the queen consort, or of the heir apparent of the crown, is high treason; as are many other offenses created by statute.
In the United States, treason is confined to the actual levying of war against the United States, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort.
Treason in Great Britain, is of two kinds, high treason and petit treason. High treason is a crime that immediately affects the king or state; such as the offenses just enumerated. Petit treason involves a breach of fidelity, but affects individuals. Thus for a wife to kill her husband, a servant his master or lord, or an ecclesiastic his lord or ordinary, is petit treason. But in the United States this crime is unknown; the killing in the latter cases being murder only.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a crime that undermines the offender's government [syn: treason, high treason, lese majesty]
2: disloyalty by virtue of subversive behavior [syn: treason, subversiveness, traitorousness]
3: an act of deliberate betrayal [syn: treachery, betrayal, treason, perfidy]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English tresoun, from Anglo-French traisun, from Latin tradition-, traditio act of handing over, from tradere to hand over, betray — more at traitor Date: 13th century 1. the betrayal of a trust ; treachery 2. the offense of attempting by overt acts to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance or to kill or personally injure the sovereign or the sovereign's family

U.S. Military Dictionary

Violation of the allegiance owed to one's sovereign or state; betrayal of one's country.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 (in full high treason: see note below) violation by a subject of allegiance to the sovereign or to the State, esp. by attempting to kill or overthrow the sovereign or to overthrow the government. 2 (in full petty treason) hist. murder of one's master or husband, regarded as a form of treason. Usage: The crime of petty treason was abolished in 1828; the term high treason, originally distinguished from petty treason, now has the same meaning as treason. Derivatives: treasonous adj. Etymology: ME f. AF treisoun etc., OF tra{iuml}son, f. L traditio handing over (as TRADITION)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Treason Trea"son, n. [OE. tresun, treisun, traisoun, OF. tra["i]son, F. trahison, L. traditio a giving up, a delivering up, fr. tradere to give up, betray. See Traitor, and cf. Tradition.] 1. The offense of attempting to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance, or of betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power; disloyalty; treachery. The treason of the murthering in the bed. --Chaucer. Note: In monarchies, the killing of the sovereign, or an attempt to take his life, is treason. In England, to imagine or compass the death of the king, or of the queen consort, or of the heir apparent to the crown, is high treason, as are many other offenses created by statute. In the United States, treason is confined to the actual levying of war against the United States, or to an adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. 2. Loosely, the betrayal of any trust or confidence; treachery; perfidy. If he be false, she shall his treason see. --Chaucer. Petit treason. See under Petit.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Treason is the crime of betraying your country, for example by helping its enemies or by trying to remove its government using violence.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tre'-z'-n: The translation of qesher, in English Versions of the Bible 1Ki 16:20; 2Ki 11:14 parallel 2Ch 23:13. Qesher (from qashar, "to bind") means "a conspiracy" (2Sa 15:12; 2Ki 12:20, etc.), and the translation "treason" is due to the King James Versions' love of variety.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Treachery (to a sovereign or a Government), disloyalty, breach of allegiance, lesemajesty.

Moby Thesaurus

Golconda, Machiavellianism, apostasy, backsliding, betrayal, bolt, breach of trust, breakaway, collaboration, crossing-over, deceit, deceitfulness, defection, degeneration, desertion, disloyalty, duplicity, eldorado, faithlessness, fifth-column activity, fraternization, going over, gold mine, high treason, lese majesty, mine, misprision, misprision of treason, perfidiousness, perfidy, petty treason, quislingism, ratting, recidivation, recidivism, recreancy, renunciation, secession, sedition, seditiousness, treacherousness, treachery, treasure, treasure trove, treasure-house, treasury, turning traitor