Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “thievery” come from?

Thievery derives from Middle English -erie, Old English ġeþīefian, Latin -arius, and Proto-Indo-European -yós, with the suffix -ery denoting the practice or habit of theft.

thievery (English): The act of theft, the act of stealing; That which...

Definitions

  1. The act of theft, the act of stealing; That which...

Ancestry of “thievery”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishthieveTo commit theft
2Middle Englishtheven—
3Old Englishþēofian—
Every word from Old English þēofian →