traitor
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traitor
A person who abuses the trust of another person, a group, or their country and acts disloyally, for example by revealing secrets or defecting to the opposing side.
Er wurde als Verräter beschimpft, nachdem er die Pläne seines Teams an die Konkurrenz verkauft hatte.
He was called a traitor after he sold his team's plans to the competition.
The word is made up of the verb 'verraten' (to betray/reveal) and the ending '-er'. The ending '-er' here refers to a person who performs the action of the verb—that is, someone who betrays.
Wer die geheimen Informationen weitergegeben hat, ist ein Verräter.
Whoever passed on the secret information is a traitor.
'Der Verräter' belongs to the word family of 'verraten' (to betray/reveal). The verb 'verraten' means to reveal a secret or to be disloyal. The noun 'der Verrat' (betrayal) refers to the act itself.
Er hat sein Team verraten und gilt nun als Verräter.
He betrayed his team and is now considered a traitor.
The word is often used with the preposition 'an' (+ dative) to say against whom the betrayal was committed. Typical phrases are 'ein Verräter am eigenen Volk' (a traitor to one's own people) or 'ein Verräter an seinen Freunden' (a traitor to his friends).
In der Geschichte wurde er als Verräter an seinem König dargestellt.
In the story, he was portrayed as a traitor to his king.
queue / snake
'die Schlange' and 'der Verräter' can both speak negatively about a person you do not trust. 'Verräter' is more specific: the person breaks trust, reveals secrets, or acts against their own group. 'Schlange' in this sense is a derogatory insult for a false, deceitful person. The word does not say exactly what the person did, but judges their character. If it is about a clear breach of trust, 'Verräter' is more precise; if you want to insult someone strongly, 'Schlange' may be meant.
Für das Team war er ein Verräter, weil er die Pläne an die Konkurrenz weitergab.
To the team, he was a traitor because he passed the plans on to the competition.
Nach der Lüge nannte sie ihn eine Schlange und sprach nicht mehr mit ihm.
After the lie, she called him a snake and stopped speaking to him.