martyr

noun

One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.

noun

One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.

noun

One who endures great suffering.

noun

One who makes a great show of suffering in order to arouse sympathy.

transitive verb

To make a martyr of, especially to put to death for devotion to religious beliefs.

transitive verb

To inflict great pain on; torment.

To put to death as a punishment for adherence to some religious belief, especially for adherence to Christianity; hence, to put to death for the maintaining of any obnoxious belief or cause.

To put to death for any cause; destroy, as in revenge or retaliation; torture.

To persecute as a martyr; afflict; despoil; torment.