protomartyr

American  

[proh-toh-mahr-ter] / ˈproʊ toʊˌmɑr tər /

noun

1. the first Christian martyr, Saint Stephen.

2. the first martyr in any cause.

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protomartyr British  

/ ˌprəʊtəʊˈmɑːtə /

noun

1. St Stephen as the first Christian martyr

2. the first martyr to lay down his life in any cause

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Etymology

Origin of protomartyr

1400–50; late Middle English prothomartyr < Late Latin prōtomartyr < Late Greek prōtómartys. See proto-, martyr

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

protomartyr

The largest relic in England of the protomartyr is his thigh, preserved at St Michael's Benedictine Abbey, in Farnborough, Hampshire.

From BBC ● May 28, 2016

Another great name from the Acts of the Apostles is that of the protomartyr Stephen, among the numerous derivatives of which we must include Stennett and Stimpson.

From The Romance of Names by Ernest Weekley

St. Alban's was founded, as its name implies, in honor of the English protomartyr, whose bones were said to have been discovered on that interesting site, and afterwards preserved with veneration in the abbey.

From Bibliomania in the Middle Ages by Frederick Somner Merryweather

The women reformers of our day should promote Margaret Brent to the position of their patron saint and protomartyr.

From Women of America Woman: In all ages and in all countries Vol. 10 (of 10) by John Rouse Larus

After this, Steven the protomartyr, and Paul once him persecutor, had to expose the emptiness of all external santifications, and free the world from the law of Moses.

From Phases of Faith Passages from the History of My Creed by Francis William Newman

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