different between theft vs thief

English

Etymology

From Middle English theft, thefte, þefte, þefþe, þiefþe, from Old English þ?efþu, from Proto-Germanic *þiubiþ?, from *þeubaz (“thief”), equivalent to thief +? -th or thieve +? -th. Cognate with Old Frisian thiuvethe, thiufthe (“theft”), Old Norse þýfð, þýft, and (obsolete) Dutch diefte.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /??ft/
• Rhymes: -?ft

Noun

theft (countable and uncountable, plural thefts)

1. The act of stealing property.

Synonyms

• See Thesaurus:theft

Derived terms

• petty theft

Related terms

• thief
• thieve

Translations

See also

• nick
• steal
• TWOC

Further reading

• theft on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Middle English

Alternative forms

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

Etymology

From Old English þ?efþu, from Proto-Germanic *þiubiþ?; equivalent to thef +? -th.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?e?ft/, /??ft/, /?e?f?/, /??f?/
• (mainly southern ME) IPA^(key): /?i?ft/, /?ift/

Noun

theft

1. Theft, stealing, robbery (in general or as an individual instance)
2. Financial fraud; the acquiring of financial goods maliciously.
3. Some act viewed negatively compared or equated to theft.
4. Stolen or illegally acquired goods or possessions.
5. (rare) An alleged instance of robbery.

Descendants

• English: theft
• Scots: thift, theft

References

• “th???ft(e, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-10-21.

English

Alternative forms

• theef

Etymology

From Middle English thef, theef, þef, from Old English þ?of, from Proto-Germanic *þeubaz. Spelling from Northern England, where /e?o/ became [i?] rather than [e?]. (Compare the spelling of deep from Old English deop.)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: th?f, IPA^(key): /?i?f/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?if/
• Rhymes: -i?f

Noun

thief (plural thieves)

1. One who carries out a theft.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:thief
2. One who steals another person's property, especially by stealth and without using force or violence.
3. (obsolete) A waster in the snuff of a candle.
   • 1640, Joseph Hall, Divine Light

     But hear you , my Worthy Brethren : do not you , where you see a thief in the candle , call presently for an extinguisher

Hypernyms

• (one who carries out a theft): See Thesaurus:criminal

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Related terms

• thieve

Translations

Anagrams

• feith, theif