defector

American  

[dih-fek-ter] / dɪˈfɛk tər /

noun

1. a person who defects from a cause, country, alliance, etc.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• redefector
  noun
• nondefector
  noun

Etymology

Origin of defector

1655–65; < Latin dēfector renegade, rebel, equivalent to dēfec- (variant stem of dēficere to become disaffected, revolt, literally, to fail; see defect) + -tor -tor

Explanation

A person who quits something, despite a perceived duty or obligation, is a defector. If you abandon the Boston Red Sox to root for the New York Yankees instead, your fellow Bostonians will consider you a defector. In politics, defectors abandon their home countries and claim allegiance to another. A person can only be a defector if the first state forbids such a change and considers it illegal or illegitimate, as the government of North Korea does when one of its citizens leaves the country. Abandoning a military post also makes someone a defector. In your life, you're more likely to be considered a defector (by some) if you change political parties or stop being a vegetarian.

Related Words

• deserter
• renegade
• turncoat