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thieves

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thief

[theef]
–noun, plural thieves.
a person who steals, esp. secretly or without open force; one guilty of theft or larceny.

Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE thēof; c. D dief, G Dieb, ON thjōfr, Goth thiufs


burglar, pickpocket, highwayman. Thief, robber refer to one who steals. A thief takes the goods or property of another by stealth without the latter's knowledge: like a thief in the night. A robber trespasses upon the house, property, or person of another, and makes away with things of value, even at the cost of violence: A robber held up two women on the street.

thieve

[theev] ,verb, thieved, thiev⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to take by theft; steal.
–verb (used without object)
2. to act as a thief; commit theft; steal.

Origin:
bef. 950; OE thēofian, deriv. of theōf thief (not recorded in ME)


thiev⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To thieves
thief   (thēf)   
n.   pl. thieves (thēvz)
One who steals, especially by stealth.

[Middle English, from Old English thēof.]
thieve   (thēv)   
tr. & intr.v.   thieved, thiev·ing, thieves
To take (something) by theft or commit theft.

[Perhaps from Old English thēofian, from thēof, thief.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

thief 
O.E. þeof, from P.Gmc. *theubaz (cf. O.Fris. thiaf, O.S. thiof, M.Du. dief, O.H.G. diob, Ger. dieb, O.N. þiofr, Goth. þiufs), probably from PIE *teup- (cf. Lith. tupeti "to crouch down").

thieve 
O.E. þeofian, from þeof (see thief). Rare in O.E., not common until 17c. Thievish "of or pertaining to thieves" is recorded from c.1450; meaning "inclined to steal" is from 1538. Thieving first attested 1530. Thievery is from 1568.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: thief
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural thieves
Etymology: Old English thEof
: one who commits theft
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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