pilferage
/ˈpɪlf(ə)ɹɪd͡ʒ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.61 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The individual act or recurring practice of stealing items of low value, especially in small quantities, for which the legal term is petty theft.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "Sir Thomas Royden, Chairman of the L.M.S.R., and Mr. Robert Holland-Martin, Chairman of the Southern Railway, both deplored the wholesale robbery and petty pilferage which have increased until they have reached appalling dimensions."
- "Still, there is pilferage, mysterious discrepancies eating into the percentages."
Etymology
Etymology tree English pilfer Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Italic *-ātos Latin -ātus Proto-Indo-European *-ikos Proto-Italic *-ikos Latin -icus Latin -āticus Latin -āticum Old French -agebor. Middle English -age English -age English pilferage From pilfer + -age.