Where does “deceit” come from?

Deceit comes from Old French deceite, derived from Old French decevoir, which comes from Latin decipere, meaning to ensnare or trick, ultimately from Latin capio meaning to take, rooted in Proto-Indo-European keh₂p-.

deceit (English): An act or practice intended to deceive; a trick;...

Definitions

  1. An act or practice intended to deceive; a trick;...

Ancestry of “deceit”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishdeceyteDeception or deceit
2Old Frenchdeceite—
3Old Frenchdecevoirto deceive; to trick; to fool
4Latindēcipere—

Words derived from “deceit”

Every word from Latin dēcipere →Every word from Old French decevoir →Every word from Old French deceite →