1. a female traitor; a woman who betrays her country, cause, or trust
Usage: archaic; rarely used in modern English

Examples

• The historical novel depicted the queen as a traitoress who sold state secrets.
• In Shakespeare’s time, the term traitoress was commonly used for women accused of treason.
• The pamphlet branded her a traitoress for supporting the enemy cause.
• Modern writers typically use ‘traitor’ for both men and women rather than ‘traitoress’.
• The court records from 1642 describe her as a notorious traitoress.
• Few dictionaries still include traitoress as it has fallen out of common usage.