larceny
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈlɑː.sən.i/, /ˈlɑː.sɪ.ni/ (UK); /ˈlɑɹ.sə.ni/ (US)[1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Middle English larceni,[2][3][4] borrowed from Anglo-Norman larcin (“theft”),[3][4][5][2][6] from Old French larrecin,[5][2] from Latin latrōcinium (“robbery”),[3][4][5][2] from latrō “robber; hireling, mercenary”,[3][4][5][2] probably from a Greek source related to látron “pay, hire”.[3][4][5][2] The English ending -y was added to the French word,[5][6] perhaps under the influence of felony and burglary.[2]
Earliest recorded meaning
The felonious taking and carrying away of another's personal goods with intent to convert them to one's own use (c1460).[7][2] Barnhart dates the word to before 1475.[5]
Semantic evolution
The meaning has stayed close to the legal definition.[7][3][4] Larceny was formerly divided into grand larceny and petty larceny according to the value of the property.[2][6]
Timeline
Modern meaning
Noun
- (law) The unlawful taking and carrying away of another's personal property with intent to deprive the owner of it permanently; theft.
- An instance of such taking.
Word family
- grand larceny
- petty larceny
Related words
- larcenous
- larcenist
- felony
- burglary
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b c d e f The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
- ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
- ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
- ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press