English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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theft (countable and uncountable, plural thefts)

  1. The act of stealing property.
    resource theft
    Bike theft is on the rise.
    A suspect was arrested for the theft of a gold necklace.
    • 2007 July 5, Charles Hugh Smith, When Lies Become Normal, Is Truth Dead or Just in Hiding?[1]:
      If you steal a candy bar, you are guilty of theft, regardless of the value.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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Further reading

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Middle English

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Noun

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theft

  1. Alternative form of thefte