Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
Quotation dates: 1700-1897
[1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]
THEFT, n. Also †thift; tift (Sh.). Sc. usages, esp. in Sc. Law: the gen. word for what is termed larceny in Eng. Law. Derivs. †(1) theftdom, thievery, theft; (2) theft(e)(u)ous, †thief-, thievish, pilfering; furtive, stealthy. Adv. theft(u)ously (Dmf. 1775 Dmf. Weekly Mag. (26 Dec.) 96; Per. 1830 Per. Advertiser (11 Feb.)).(1) Sc. 1849 M. Oliphant M. Maitland xvii.:
There was many a theftdom found out in the farm-houses round about.(2) Arg. 1700 Arg. Justiciary Records (Stair Soc.) I. 192:
The said Ronald M'Donald did thiefteously steall ane large sow.Rxb. 1735 Stitchill Court Bk. (S.H.S.) 191:
Indicted of several theftuous actions.Sc. 1772 Weekly Mag. (30 April) 160:
Margaret Wylie was publicly whipt, for theftuous practices.Sc. 1811 J. Burnett Crim. Law 123:
The goods were originally theftuously taken out of the possession of the owner.Rxb. 1868 Hawick Advertiser (18 April) 3:
All and each or one or other of them . . . steal and theftuously away take from Tower Knowe Mill. . . .Sc. 1881 D. Masson De Quincy 138:
A theftuous hope to amuse an hour.Sc. 1883 H. Drummond Natural Law 342:
By means of its twining and theftuous roots.Kcb. 1897 Crockett Lochinvar xxxiii.:
For all the world like a theftuous schoolboy.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Theft n.". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 15 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/theft>
