Betray

How to spell betray

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce betray

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does betray mean?

1. verbTo be disloyal to someone or something, especially by breaking trust or helping an enemy.
2. verbTo reveal or show something unintentionally, such as a hidden feeling or fact.

Betray in a sentence

• He would never betray a colleague to win a promotion.

• A slight tremor in his voice can betray his nerves during interviews.

• Leaking the documents would betray the entire team.

• Her smile may betray how pleased she really was.

Where does betray come from?

Language of origin: French

This word comes from Middle English bitrayen, formed by adding the intensive Old English prefix be- to the Old French verb traïr, meaning 'to hand over' or 'to deliver up'. That French verb descended from the Latin tradere, literally 'to hand across' or 'to give over', built from trans 'across' and dare 'to give'. The same Latin tradere lies behind the English words 'tradition' (something handed down) and 'traitor' (one who hands over), so betray sits in a family all about giving something away to the wrong side. The sense narrowed over time from neutral 'handing over' to the modern idea of disloyalty: handing over a person, secret, or trust to those who should not have it. The spelling keeps the -ay ending of the Old French stem rather than the -ey some writers expect.

How the word is built

• be- (intensive prefix)
• -tray (from Old French traïr, ultimately Latin tradere: to hand over)