thefte

Middle English

Alternative forms

• theffte, theft, thifthe, þeefte, þeft, þeofþe, þeuft, þiefþe, þifte, þyefþe

Etymology

Inherited from Old English þīefþ, from Proto-West Germanic *þiubiþu, from Proto-Germanic *þiubiþō; equivalent to thef +‎ -the (“abstract nominal suffix”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈθeːft(ə)/, /ˈθɛft(ə)/, /ˈθeːfθ(ə)/, /ˈθɛfθ(ə)/
• (mainly southern ME) IPA^(key): /ˈθiːft(ə)/, /θift(ə)/

Noun

thefte

1. Theft, stealing, robbery (in general or as an individual instance):
   1. Financial fraud; the mishandling of money.
   2. Something seen as analogous or equivalent to theft.
2. Stolen or illegally acquired goods.

Descendants

• English: theft
• Scots: thift, theft

References

• “thẹ̄̆ft(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 21 October 2018.