/ ˈmɑːtə(r); NAmE ˈmɑːrt-/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a person who suffers very much or is killed because of their religious or political beliefs :
the early Christian martyrs
a martyr to the cause of freedom
2.
(usually disapproving ) a person who tries to get sympathy from other people by telling them how much he or she is suffering
3.
martyr to sth ( informal ) a person who suffers very much because of an illness, problem or situation :
She's a martyr to her nerves.
■ verb
[ vn ] [ usually passive ] to kill sb because of their religious or political beliefs
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English martir , via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek martur witness (in Christian use, martyr ).