Where does “thief” come from?
Thief comes from Middle English thef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-Germanic þeubaz, from Proto-Indo-European tewpó-.
thief (English): One who carries out a theft; One who steals...
Definitions
- One who carries out a theft; One who steals...
Ancestry of “thief”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle Scots | theif | A criminal or villain; a malicious or lawbreaking person |
| 2 | Middle English | þef | Alternative form of thef |
| 3 | Old English | þēof | thief |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | þeub | thief |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | þeubaz | thief |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | tewpó- | — |
Words derived from “thief”