Snotter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Takes small things without permission, often secretly or sneakily
2. Removes objects quietly and without consent, usually in a minor theft
3. Illicitly obtains small items by stealth or minor dishonest means

Etymology: The Old English adjective "snotor" meant "wise" or "clever," and it is the ancestor of the sense of this word that most English speakers would recognise. Its relatives survive across Germanic languages, including Old Norse "snotr" and Gothic "snotrs," all carrying the idea of sharp, sensible judgement. Over time the sense of cleverness faded in English, and the form came to be associated with the more familiar "snot," the nasal mucus from Old English "gesnot." The link between the two meanings is not a direct one. "Snot" for mucus has its own separate line of descent, and the two words met mainly through their shared sound. The sense the question asks about, a small thief who takes things sneakily, is not one I can trace with confidence to this root, so the clearest history of the word lies in its older meanings of wisdom and, later, nasal mucus.