theft

Meaning

Noun

• The act of stealing property.

Origin

• From Middle English theft, thefte, þefte, þefþe, þiefþe, Old English þīefþu, from Proto-West Germanic *þiubiþu, from Proto-Germanic *þiubiþō, from *þeubaz, equivalent to thief + -th or thieve + -th. Cognate with Old Frisian thiuvethe, thiufthe, dialectal Dutch diefte, obsolete German Diebde, Icelandic þýfð.