Tradition and Treason

Tradition and Treason Tradition and Treason Tradition and Treason By Mark Nichol Curiously, a word referring to the handing down of beliefs and customs and one pertaining to a breakdown in fidelity to a political system, which is based on beliefs and customs, though they are not antonyms, have a common etymology. This post discusses these words and several others with the same ancestor. The words listed below all derived from tradere, a Latin verb meaning â€Å"deliver† or â€Å"hand over.† That word, in turn, stems from a combination of the Latin preposition trans, meaning â€Å"over† (seen in words such as transfer and transport) and the Latin verb dare, meaning â€Å"do.† Interestingly, however, though to trade is to deliver or hand over (in return for something else), the English word trade is not related; its origin is the Germanic trade, meaning â€Å"course† or â€Å"track† and cognate with tread. (Likewise, the English verb and noun dare is from Old English, not Latin.) Tradition comes from traditionem, referring to an act of delivery or handing over; the adjectival and adverbial forms are traditional and traditionally. (Trad occasionally appears as a slang abbreviation of traditional.) Adherence to tradition is called traditionalism, and one who advocates that philosophy is a traditionalist. Extradition, meanwhile, refers to handing over, as when the authorities in one country deliver a fugitive to those in the country in which he or she committed a crime; the verb is extradite. This fugitive may very well be a traitor to the country to which he or she is being extradited. Traitor, from the Latin noun traditor by way of French, means â€Å"one who delivers,† originally in the sense of information injurious to one nation and beneficial to an antagonistic country. By extension, one who merely betrays another’s trust may be branded a traitor. The act of betrayal is called treason, and the adjectival form is treasonous (and, less often, treasonable, with the adverbial form treasonably); however, treasonously is not employed as an adverb. (Treachery and its similarly inflected adjectival and adverbial forms is a similar-looking but unrelated synonym.) Speaking of betray, that word’s root stems from tradere as well. (An act of unfaithfulness is betrayal, and the actor is a betrayer.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases5 Brainstorming Strategies for Writers20 Tips to Improve your Writing Productivity