‘Theft’in OED

 

1. The action of a thief; the felonious taking away of the personal goods of another; larceny; also, with a and pl., an instance of this.

{alpha}688-95 Laws of Ine c. 28 Be {th}eofes onfenge æt {edh}ief{edh}e [MSS. B., H. {edh}yf{edh}e]. Ibid. c. 73 {asg}if hit bi{edh}niht eald {th}ief{edh}, {asg}ebeten {th}a {th}one gylt {th}e hine {asg}efengon. 695-6 Laws of Wihtræd c. 25 {asg}if man leud ofslea an {th}eof{edh}e, licge buton wyr-gelde. c1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 186 {Th}yf{edh}{asg}estranga{edh}. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 13 Ne do {th}u {th}eof{edh}e. a1225 Ancr. R. 202 {Th}e Vox of {ygh}iscunge haue{edh}{th}eos hweolpes: Tricherie & Gile, {Th}eor{edh}e, Reflac. c1290 Beket 445 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 119 {Ygh}if a clerk hath ane Man a-slawe, o{th}ur strong {th}eff{th}e i-do. 1297 R. GLOUC.

 (Rolls) 10361 {Th}e king..let prisouns vor{th}bringe, {Th}at uor {th}uf{th}e were inome, & uor o{th}er {th}inge. 1340 Ayenb. 37 {Th}e o{th}er bo{ygh}of auarice ys {th}yef{th}e. 1393 LANGL. P. Pl. C. III. 92 In bargeyns and in brocages with {th}e borghe of {th}uf{th}e [v.rr. {th}ef{th}e, {th}efte]. a1450 Knt. de la Tour (1906) 60 The theef dothe..delite hem in thifthe tille thei be taken and putte to dethe.

{beta}c1250 O. Kentish Serm. in O.E. Misc. 31 {Th}o grete sennen {th}et biedh diadliche Ase so is..{th}efte. a1300 Cursor M. 15973 Iudas..Of his thift and his felunni, His moder al he tald. 1382 WYCLIF Matt. xv. 19 Of the herte gon out yuel thou{ygh}tis, mansleayngis, auoutries, fornicaciouns, theftis. 1387 TREVISA Higden (Rolls) V. 383 Mauricius..fondede to forbede his kny{ygh}tes {th}ifte [v.rr. {th}ef{th}e, {th}eof{th}e]. c1450 Brut 443 For treason & for {th}ift {th}at thei had done to {th}e Kynge & to his liege peple. 1489 CAXTON Faytes of A. IV. ix. 251 To haue committed a smal theefte. 1552 HULOET, Theaft in stealynge cattell, abigeatus. 1570 LEVINS Manip. 52/44 Theft, furtum. Ibid. 118/5 Thift, furtum. 1577 HOLINSHED Chron., Hist. Scot. I. 440/1 Accused of theft, and of receiuing and mainteining of theeues. 1605 SHAKES.

 Macb. II. iii. 151. 1629 SIR W. MURE True Crucifixe 1133 To hide the thift. 1771 Junius Lett. lxv. (1820) 328 The thief was taken in the theft. 1909 Q. Rev. July 176 His borrowings were not thefts but prolific suggestions.

b. by theft, stealthily, furtively, by secret craft. Obs. rare{em}1.

c1470 HENRY Wallace XI. 592 Thai be thyft hecht to put Wallace doun.

    2. concr. That which is or has been stolen; the proceeds of thieving. Now rare.

962-3 Laws of Edgar IV. c. 2 §2 To {edh}y {th}æt..{th}eof nyte, hwær he {th}yf{th}e [MS. C. {th}eofte] befæste. c1175 Lamb. Hom. 57 Ne {th}u na{ygh}est for to stele, Ne nan {th}ef{th}e for to heole. a1300 Cursor M. 6754 {Th}at he mai yeild again his thift, He sal be saald. 1340 Ayenb. 38 {Th}e {th}yeues be uela{ygh}rede bye{th}{th}o {th}et parte{th}of {th}e {th}yef{th}e. 1413 Pilgr. Sowle (Caxton 1483) III. v. 53 The theft which they haue stolen ye haue you self receyued. 1530 TINDALE Exod. xxii. 4 Yf the thefte [WYCLIF, that that he hath stoln] be founde in his hande alyue..he shall restore double. 1665 G. HAVERS P. della Valle's Trav. E.I. 145 We found the theft in his breeches ty'd to his naked flesh. 1864 KINGSLEY Rom. & Teut. x. 284 If a free man be caught thieving,..he replaces the theft, and pays 80 solidi, or dies.

    3. attrib. and Comb., as theft-guilty adj.

1613-16 W. BROWNE Brit. Past. II. i, What store of houres theft-guilty night had spent. 1907 Westm. Gaz. 19 Oct. 9/2 The Police Commissioner..gave it as his opinion that the theft theory was the most probable.