SG Heritage Dictionary

Protomartyr [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1828

1. The first martyr; a term applied to Stephen, the first christian martyr.

2. The first who suffers or is sacrificed in any cause.

Protomartyr [Noun] Webster's Dictionary 1913

The first martyr; the first who suffers, or is sacrificed, in any cause; -- applied esp. to Stephen, the first Christian martyr.