What Does Martyr Means?

A martyr is someone who chooses to suffer persecution and death over renouncing religious or moral beliefs and values. Someone who makes great sacrifices to further a belief, cause or principle. The word martyr originates from the Greek marty found in the New Testament of the Bible, and means witness. In early Christian centuries, believers were often called to witness for their religious beliefs, and on account of this witness, endured suffering and/or death. The death of a martyr and the value attributed to it is called martyrdom. Jesus is seen by Christians as a martyr for his crucifixion. In Christianity, a martyr, or witness, is one who brings testimony, either written or verbal and usually from the Christian gospel, or the Word of God. The death of many Christian believers whose testimonies were rejected has resulted in the word martyr being used in the current sense. Martyrs who are killed are seen to echo the sacrificial actions of Jesus, offering up their lives for truth. From the time of the persecution of the Christians in the Roman Empire, a martyr was a person who was killed for maintaining religious beliefs whilst all the time knowing that it could ultimately end in death, although they did not wish to die. The first Christian witness to be killed for his beliefs was Saint Stephen, whose name means 'crown' and those who suffer martyrdom are said to be 'crowned'. Martyrdom is not restricted to the Christian faith and is seen throughout other religions as well as in other cultural and historical times. A soldier fighting for freedom could also be seen as a martyr, as he is willing to give his life for his beliefs.

The term martyr basically is given to an individual who is put to death or suffers because of a belief, opinion or cause. The loss of a martyr or the value attributed to it is known as martyrdom.

In diverse belief systems, the principle for being considered a martyr is diverse. According to the Christian perspectives, a martyr basically is an innocent individual who without looking for death, is murdered or put to death because of his or her religious faith or convictions.

In Islam a much extensive observation of what constitutes a martyr, counting anyone who expires in the struggle amid those lands under Muslim government and those sections outside Muslim rule. In worldly context, the expression is at times given to those who use violence, for example those who die for a countries glory during wartime.

As a noun, the term martyr is used to describe a person who deliberately chooses to suffer death sooner than to renounce his or her religious principles. The term is also broadly used to refer to a person who suffers much or makes immense sacrifices with the aim of furthering a cause, belief or principle.

It may also be used to describe an individual who bears great suffering. In a more negative sense of the term it is used to refer to someone who makes a huge show of suffering in trying to arouse sympathy.

As a transitive verb, it is used to mean making a martyr of, in particular putting someone to death for his or her devotion to their religious beliefs. It could mean tormenting or inflicting great pain on.

Martyr

1.
Somebody put to death:
Somebody who chooses to die rather than deny a strongly held belief,
especially a religious belief

2.
Somebody who makes sacrifices:
Somebody who makes sacrifices or suffers greatly in order to advance a cause
or principle

Martyred is the inflected form of the word 'martyr'. As a transitive verb, it is used to mean making a martyr of, in particular putting someone to death for his or her devotion to their religious beliefs. It could mean tormenting or inflicting great pain on.    The noun form of the word is martyrization. Unfortunately, as exemplified by suicide-bomb attacks, a new form of martyrdom has arisen with the 1983 Hezbollah assault on the U.S. Embassy situated in Beirut, Lebanon. It has continued to haunt the world as seen in the death and destruction which resulted from the 9/11 suicide attack by the Al-Qaeda in the U.S and other bombings the world over. Suicide bombings have led to hundreds of predatory martyrs in the enduring conflict in Iraq.    The term martyr is Middle English, with roots in the Greek word martyr-, martus, meaning witness.