† proditoriousadj.

?a1475 (?a1425) in tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1882) VIII. App. 501 (MED) The seide lordes did holde solenne parliamentes by usurpacion of that proditorious commission into the grete preiudice of youre regaly.

1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 282/2 This reward reaped he for his proditorious attempts.

1609 S. Daniel Civile Wares (rev. ed.) iii. lxxxviii. 83 Now, proditorious wretch, what hast thou done, To make this barbarous base assassinate Vpon the person of a Prince?

1641 W. Prynne Antipathie Ep. Ded. sig. ¶3 The Capitalnesse of such a Concealement in these proditorious times.

1759 J. Lauder Decisons Court of Sessions I. 369 A base proditorious murder was committed at Lesmahago.

1788 S. Low Politician Out-witted ii. ii. 22 You are the most unenlightened, contumacious, litigious, petulant, opprobrious, proditorious, misanthropic mortal I ever confabulated a coloquy with.

1888 J. M. Aguirre Uncle Sam in Pontifical Robes (Synopsis) p. x The triple alliance against Mexico, thoroughly agreed upon in a Machiavelic conventicle secretly held at London, while the United States were engaged in the war of rebellion: Character and extent of those proditorious aims, and their wretched failure.

a1639 H. Wotton Philos. Surv. Educ. in Reliquiæ Wottonianæ (1651) 329 I will now hasten to those more solid and conclusive Characters, which..are emergent from the Minde; and which oftentimes do start out of Children when themselves least think of it: For let me tell you, Nature is Proditorious.

1709 Brit. Apollo 7–9 Dec. Blind to Events, however they might prove, Or Proditorious or Exitious.

1824 R. Southey Sir Thomas More (1887) 140 The eye, then, Sir Thomas, is proditorious, and I will not gainsay its honest testimony.

1828 R. Southey Let. in Corr. R. Southey with C. Bowles (1881) 144 A strong brow, A proditorious eye, for no dislike Can lurk dissembled there.