English
treason
Treason comes from Old French traïson.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400traïson1
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400treson1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tresoun1‘Betrayal of one's nation or governing authorities’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1605treason1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English treason
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1605, John Harington, 42: Of Treason: “Treaſon doth never [pro]ſper: what's the reaſon? / For…”.
Earlier history uncertain. See Wiktionary.
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400traïsonWiktionary, English treason
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400tresonWiktionary, English treason
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tresounWiktionary, English treason‘Betrayal of one's nation or governing authorities’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1605treasonWiktionary, English treason. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1605, John Harington, 42: Of Treason: “Treaſon doth never [pro]ſper: what's the reaſon? / For…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘give’
date, add, addition, delicious, donate, donation, vendor, donor, dow, additive, dowry, rendition, condone, addendum, dowager, endow, dower, perdition, dati, sconce, 38 more
through Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti ‘to be giving’
dose, antidote, anecdote, dacha, 18 more
through Proto-Italic *didō ‘to give’
through Latin dō ‘give’
data, die, rent, tradition, surrender, vent, render, rendezvous, 16 more
through Old French trair
Today it means
noun The crime of betraying one’s own country.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “treason”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Old French traïson / treason