judas
judas Lexical Profile
judas Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who betrays a friend, ally, or cause, especially under the guise of friendship or loyalty (usually capitalized as 'Judas').
"The members of the committee felt that the whistleblower had acted as a Judas by leaking their private discussions to the press."
A small peephole, lattice, or sliding aperture in a door, especially in a prison cell or monastery, through which someone can look without being noticed from the other side.
"The night guard slid back the cover of the judas to check on the occupant of the cell."
Word Nuance & Usage
When referring to a treacherous person, 'Judas' is almost always capitalized, whereas the architectural sense referring to a peephole in a door is typically written in lowercase as 'judas'.
• Rhymes for judas
Word Origin & Etymology
Eponymously derived from Judas Iscariot, the New Testament apostle who betrayed Jesus Christ to the authorities in exchange for thirty pieces of silver. The name comes via Late Latin and Ancient Greek from the Hebrew name Yehudah.