treac

a. [ See Treacher. ] Like a traitor; involving treachery; violating allegiance or faith pledged; traitorous to the state or sovereign; perfidious in private life; betraying a trust; faithless. [ 1913 Webster ]

Loyal father of a treacherous son. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The treacherous smile, a mask for secret hate. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Faithless; perfidious; traitorous; false; insidious; plotting. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Treach"er*ous*ly, adv. -- Treach"er*ous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. trecherïe, trichere, OF. trecherie, tricherie, F. tricherie trickery, from tricher to cheat, to trick, OF. trichier, trechier; probably of Teutonic origin. See Trickery, Trick. ] Violation of allegiance or of faith and confidence; treasonable or perfidious conduct; perfidy; treason. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

Be ware, ye lords, of their treachery. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the council chamber at Edinburgh, he had contracted a deep taint of treachery and corruption. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ See Treacher. ] A traitor. [ Obs. ] “Treachour full of false despite.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. triacle a sovereign remedy, theriac, OF. triacle, F. thériaque (cf. Pr. triacla, tiriaca, Sp. & It. triaca, teriaca), L. theriaca an antidote against the bite of poisonous animals, Gr. &unr_;, fr. &unr_; of wild or venomous beasts, fr. qhri`on a beast, a wild beast, dim. of qh`r a beast. Cf. Theriac. ] 1. (Old Med.) A remedy against poison. See Theriac, 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

We kill the viper, and make treacle of him. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A sovereign remedy; a cure. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Christ which is to every harm treacle. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Molasses; sometimes, specifically, the molasses which drains from the sugar-refining molds, and which is also called sugarhouse molasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the United States molasses is the common name; in England, treacle. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A saccharine fluid, consisting of the inspissated juices or decoctions of certain vegetables, as the sap of the birch, sycamore, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

Treacle mustard (Bot.), a name given to several species of the cruciferous genus Erysimum, especially the Erysimum cheiranthoides, which was formerly used as an ingredient in Venice treacle, or theriac. --
Treacle water, a compound cordial prepared in different ways from a variety of ingredients, as hartshorn, roots of various plants, flowers, juices of plants, wines, etc., distilled or digested with Venice treacle. It was formerly regarded as a medicine of great virtue. Nares. --
Venice treacle. (Old Med.) Same as Theriac, 1. [ 1913 Webster ]