Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “þef” come from?

þef (Middle English) comes from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic þeub, from Proto-Germanic þeubaz, from Proto-Indo-European tewpó-.

þef (Middle English): Alternative form of thef

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of thef

Ancestry of “þef”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishþēofthief
2Proto-West Germanicþeubthief
3Proto-Germanicþeubazthief
4Proto-Indo-Europeantewpó-—

Words derived from “þef”

  • thief
  • thieves
  • horsethief
  • thieflike
  • cyberthief
  • outfangthief
  • thiefdom
  • thiefproof
  • thiefship
  • spellthief
  • thiefness
  • thiefless
  • thiefhood
  • tif
Every word from Proto-Indo-European tewpó- →