Decepcioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic Middle English term for the act of deceiving someone by making them believe something false
2. Obsolete spelling for trickery or misleading conduct intended to make another person accept an untruth
3. A Middle English word meaning deceit, the practice of leading someone into error through falsehood or cunning

Etymology: The Latin verb "decipere" literally meant "to catch" or "to ensnare," built from "de-" and "capere," "to take." That is the same "capere" behind "capture," so deception began as a physical trap before it meant a false impression. The Latin noun "deceptio" carried the idea of being caught out, and it passed into Old French as "déception," which English borrowed in the Middle English period. The spelling "decepcioun" shows that French origin. Middle English writers used "-cioun" for the ending that modern English writes "-tion," and the word meant the same act of deceiving that it does now, the act of misleading someone into believing what is false.