Hale, Na ‧ than /ˈneɪθ ə n/ BrE AmE
(1755–76) a US soldier who was caught by the British and hanged for being a ↑ spy (=someone whose job is to find out secret information about an enemy) during the ↑ American Revolutionary War . He is known for saying, before he was hanged, ‘I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country’.