Martyr (Greek

simply means a witness, but is applied to one who witnesses a good confession with his blood.

The martyr king. Charles I. of England, beheaded January 30th, 1649. He was buried at Windsor, and was called “The White King.”

Martyr to science. Claude Louis, Count Berthollet, who determined to test in his own person the effects of carbolic acid on the human frame, and died under the experiment. (1748–1822.)

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.