Where does “treachery” come from?
Treachery comes from Middle English trecherie, from Old French trecherie, derived from the Old French verb tricher, ultimately from Latin tricae meaning hindrances or complications.
treachery (English): Deliberate, often calculated, disregard for trust...
Definitions
- Deliberate, often calculated, disregard for trust...
Ancestry of “treachery”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | trecherie | — |
| 2 | Old French | tricherie | — |
| 3 | Old French | tricher | alternative infinitive of trichier; to cheat,... |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | trek | a trick |
| 5 | Middle Dutch | trekken | to draw, play a trick on |
| 6 | Old Dutch | trekkan | — |
| 7 | Old Dutch | trekan | to move, drag |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | trekaną | to push; to drag; to scratch |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | dreg- | to pull; to drag, scrape |