Purloin

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /pɜːˈlɔɪn/

Definitions

1. To steal something, typically in a sneaky or secretive manner
2. To take something that belongs to another person illegally and without permission, often with stealth or cunning
3. To take something belonging to another person unlawfully and covertly, especially through deception or stealth

Etymology: Before it meant stealing, "purloin" meant something much milder: to put something far away. The word began in Anglo-Norman as "purloigner," a variant of the Old French "porloignier," built from the idea of distance, and English borrowed it in Middle English as "purloynen," meaning simply "to remove." Nothing in that sense suggests theft; the sense of carrying something off out of sight was the first step. The shift toward dishonesty came as the word's sense of removing something narrowed to taking it away secretly or without right. Once a thing was carried off out of its owner's reach, the picture of furtive taking took over, and that is the meaning English speakers keep today. "Purloin" is also a doublet of "prolong." Both descend from the same Old French verb, "porloignier," and both still carry its root sense of distance: one stretches something out in time, the other removes it out of sight.

Synonyms: steal, filch

Antonyms: return, give