pilfer

English
WOTD – 24 May 2008
Boys Pilfering Molasses, 1853 painting by George Henry Hall.

Etymology

From Middle English pilfre (“booty”), from Old French pelfre (“plunder, booty, spoils”), of unknown origin. Compare pelf.

Pronunciation
  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɪl.fə/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈpɪl.fɚ/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Audio (AU)(file)

Verb

pilfer (third-person singular simple present pilfers, present participle pilfering, simple past and past participle pilfered)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To steal in small quantities, or articles of small value; to practise petty theft.

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Anagrams
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.