Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thieve” come from?

thieve (English) comes from Middle English theven, from Old English þēofian.

thieve (English): To commit theft

Definitions

  1. To commit theft

Ancestry of “thieve”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtheven—
2Old Englishþēofian—

Words derived from “thieve”

  • thieving
  • thievery
  • thiever
  • thievingly
Every word from Old English þēofian →