Where does “theif” come from?
theif (Middle Scots) comes from Middle English þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic þeub, from Proto-Germanic þeubaz, from Proto-Indo-European tewpó-.
Ancestry of “theif”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | þef | Alternative form of thef |
| 2 | Old English | þēof | thief |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | þeub | thief |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | þeubaz | thief |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | tewpó- | — |