purloin
/pɜːˈlɔɪn/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.41 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To take the property of another, often in breach of trust; to appropriate wrongfully; to steal.
Formal; Humorous; Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "Had from his wakeful custody purloined / The guarded gold."
- "Probably my acquaintance, Mr Blank, therefore, would have been able, if he had so wished to do, to purloin the papers which he mentioned."
- "The refreshment room was full of chatter and babble, which attracted everybody's envious glances. Some one had left his set in the middle of the dance, purloined a sandwich from the buffet, and was now chewing away proudly as he swerved and stamped, to the amusement of the rest."
- "Or was this simply another item Mr. Stink had purloined during his career as a gentleman thief?"
- "The Apostle expressly forbiddeth servants to purloin (Titus 2:10)."
Etymology
From Middle English purloynen (“to remove”), borrowed from Anglo-Norman purloigner (“to put far away”), one of the variants of Old French porloignier. Doublet of prolong.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: purloynen, purloigner, porloignier
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /pɜːˈlɔɪn/