Where does “shoplifting” come from?
Shoplifting derives from English shop and lift, where lift comes from Chinese 兒, Old French -er, and Latin -are, a verbal suffix meaning to do or make.
shoplifting (English): The action of stealing goods from a shop; the...
Definitions
- The action of stealing goods from a shop; the...
Ancestry of “shoplifting”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | shoplift | A shoplifter; To steal something from a shop /... |
| 2 | English | shoplifter | A person who shoplifts, one who steals from shops |
| 3 | English | lifter | Someone or something that lifts or assists in... |
| 4 | English | -er | A person or thing that does an action indicated... |
| 5 | Middle English | -er | agentive suffix; agent noun suffix |
| 6 | Old French | -er | Alternative form of -ier, verbal suffix;... |
| 7 | Latin | -āre | first conjugation |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -āō | Forms primarily denominative verbs |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -eh₂yéti | Creates iterative/ frequentative/ intensive... |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -yéti | Creates intransitive, often deponent,... |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | yé- | — |
| 12 | Chichewa | iye | he, she |