Where does “defraud” come from?
Defraud comes from Middle English defrauden, from Old French defrauder, combining the prefix de- with Latin defraudāre, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dwóh₁ meaning "two," reflecting the sense of dividing or separating someone from what is rightfully theirs.
defraud (English): To obtain money or property from by fraud; to...
Definitions
- To obtain money or property from by fraud; to...
Ancestry of “defraud”, step by step
defraud traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English defrauden
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | defrauden | — |
| 2 | Old French | defrauder | — |
| 3 | Old French | de- | Alternative form of des-; indicating that an... |
| 4 | Old French | des- | de-; dis- |
| 5 | Latin | dis- | asunder, apart, in two; reversal, removal;... |
| 6 | Latin | calceus | shoe |
| 7 | Latin | calx | limestone; chalk; the finish line |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | χάλιξ | small stone, pebble; gravel, rubble |
via French frauder
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | frauder | To commit fraud |
| 2 | German | defraudieren | — |
| 3 | Italian | frodare | to defraud, to swindle, to cheat, to deceive |
| 4 | Latin | fraudo | I cheat, defraud, swindle; I embezzle |
| 5 | Latin | fraus | A cheating, deceit, guile, fraud; A delusion,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰrewgʰ- | to deceive, to mislead; to serve one's tribe;... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | dʰer- | to support; to hold |