Where does “tif” come from?
tif (Nigerian Pidgin) comes from English thief, from Middle Scots theif, from Middle English þef, from Old English þēof, from Proto-West Germanic þeub, from Proto-Germanic þeubaz, from Proto-Indo-European tewpó-.
tif (Nigerian Pidgin): thief
Ancestry of “tif”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | thief | One who carries out a theft; One who steals... |
| 2 | Middle Scots | theif | — |
| 3 | Middle English | þef | Alternative form of thef |
| 4 | Old English | þēof | thief |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | þeub | thief |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | þeubaz | thief |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | tewpó- | — |