thefte
Middle English
Alternative forms
- theeft, theffte, theft, þeeft, þeefte, þeft, þiefþe
- þyefþe (Kent); thifthe, þefþe, þeffþe, þeofðe, þeofte, þeofþe, þeuft, þufþe (Southern, West Midland)
- thift, thifte, thyft, þift, þifte (East Saxon or Northern)
Etymology
Inherited from Old English þīefþ, from Proto-West Germanic *þiubiþu, from Proto-Germanic *þiubiþō; by surface analysis, thef (“thief”) + -the (“abstract nominal suffix”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈθɛft(ə)/, /ˈθɛfθ(ə)/, /ˈθeː-/
- IPA(key): /ˈθift(ə)/ (East Saxon), /θift/ (Northern)
- IPA(key): /ˈðyfθ(ə)/, /ˈðœfθ(ə)/ (Southern, Southwest Midland)
Noun
thefte
- Theft, stealing, robbery (in general or as an individual instance):
- Financial fraud; the mishandling of money.
- Something seen as analogous or equivalent to theft.
- (rare) Stolen or illegally acquired goods.
Descendants
References
- “thẹ̄̆ft(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 21 October 2018.