theft
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Pronunciation
- IPA: /θɛft/[1]
Etymology
It is inherited from Old English þēofþ (“theft”) (West Saxon þīefþ, later þȳft),[2][3][4] from Proto-Germanic *þeubiþō,[2][5] from *þeubaz, thief, and the abstract suffix *-iþō (see -th).[2][3] It is cognate with Old Frisian thiūfthe, Old Saxon thiubda and Old Norse þýfð.[5][2]
Earliest recorded meaning
The action of a thief, felonious taking: 688–95 in the OED;[6] Old English þēofþ about 695 in Barnhart.[5]
Semantic evolution
That which is stolen is from 962–63, now rare.[6][7] The habitual practice of stealing is from the mid-13th century.[2] In Middle English it was sometimes extended to usury or the charging of interest,[2] and Middle English also had theftly, furtively, and theftuous, thievish.[2]
Timeline
- 688–95 – stealing.[6]
- 962–63 – something stolen.[6]
- c. 1250 – theft, thefte.[5]
- mid-13th century – the habit of stealing.[2]
Modern meaning
Noun
- The act of stealing; larceny.
- (law) The dishonest taking of another's property meaning to keep it permanently.
- (rare) Something stolen.
Word family
- antitheft
- theftproof
- grand theft
- identity theft
Related words
- thief
- thieve
- -th
References
- ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
- ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
- ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins