Pickpockets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who stealthily steal from others, often targeting unsuspecting victims in crowded places for valuables
2. Describing those engaged in the act of surreptitiously removing belongings from people's pockets or bags
3. Referring to criminals who specialize in theft through cunning and distraction in public spaces

Etymology: The word is simply the plural of "pickpocket", a compound of "pick" and "pocket" that describes a thief who picks pockets. The plural form names the people who do this, so the entry is really about the person rather than the act. Both parts have long histories. "Pick" traces back through Old English and Proto-Germanic roots to a sense of pricking or pecking, which is how it came to mean taking something carefully with the fingers. "Pocket" passed into English through Anglo-Norman and Old French "poche", a small bag, and it reached Middle English as "poket" before settling into its modern spelling. Joined together, the two words describe a thief whose work happens at the level of the clothing a victim carries. The combination is transparent: a plain English description of the crime, built from two everyday nouns and verbs that were already in use.