thief: [OE] Thief goes back to a prehistoric Germanic *theubaz, which also produced German dieb, Dutch dief, Swedish tjuf, and Danish tyv. It is not clear where this came from, although it might be related to Lithuanian tupeti ‘cower, squat’ and Latvian tupt ‘squat’, in which case it would denote etymologically ‘crouching, furtive person’. From *theubaz was derived *thiūbithō, ancestor of modern English theft. => theft
thief (n.)
Old English þeof "thief, robber," from Proto-Germanic *theubaz (cognates: Old Frisian thiaf, Old Saxon thiof, Middle Dutch and Dutch dief, Old High German diob, German dieb, Old Norse þiofr, Gothic þiufs), of uncertain origin.
实用例句
1. Ness chased the thief down and held him until police arrived.
内斯追上小偷，按住他，一直等到警察赶到。
来自柯林斯例句
2. You are protected instantly if a thief misuses your credit card.
如果小偷盗用你的信用卡，你的卡会立即受到保护。
来自柯林斯例句
3. The thief had broken in through a first-floor window.
