turncoat C2+ Topic:People & Society US /ˈtɜrnˌkoʊt/ UK /ˈtɜːnˌkəʊt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a person who deserts one party or cause for the opposing one Once a loyal ally, he was branded a turncoat after the defection. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a person who deserts one... traitorrenegadedefectorapostatedeserterbetrayerquisling ↔ Opposites loyalistpatriot Word family Related forms turncoat Etymology AI details A 16th-century compound of turn + coat, from the image of someone reversing their coat to display the colors or livery of the opposing side. coat Old French View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # turncoat **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈtɜrnˌkoʊt/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈtɜːnˌkəʊt/ ## Meanings 1. a person who deserts one party or cause for the opposing one ## Examples - Once a loyal ally, he was branded a turncoat after the defection. ## Synonyms - traitor - renegade - defector - apostate - deserter - betrayer - quisling ## Antonyms - loyalist - patriot ## Related Forms - turn - coat ## Roots and Affixes - Root: coat ## Etymology A 16th-century compound of turn + coat, from the image of someone reversing their coat to display the colors or livery of the opposing side. ## AI Etymology Turncoat is a 16th-century compound of turn + coat, from the image of someone reversing their coat to display the colors or livery of the opposing side. The compound structure is semantically important: one element narrows the setting, direction, or quality, and the other supplies the object, action, or base idea. As a noun, it denotes "a person who deserts one party or cause for the opposing one", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Old French coat. Related words include turn, coat. ## Topics - People & Society markdown