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thiefmore about thief

thief

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Waster  \Wast"er\,  n.  [OE.  wastour,  OF  wasteor,  gasteor.  See 
  {Waste},  v.  t.] 
  1.  One  who  or  that  which  wastes;  one  who  squanders;  one  who 
  consumes  or  expends  extravagantly;  a  spendthrift;  a 
  prodigal. 
 
  He  also  that  is  slothful  in  his  work  is  brother  to 
  him  that  is  a  great  waster.  --Prov.  xviii. 
  9. 
 
  Sconces  are  great  wasters  of  candles.  --Swift. 
 
  2.  An  imperfection  in  the  wick  of  a  candle,  causing  it  to 
  waste;  --  called  also  a  {thief}.  --Halliwell. 
 
  3.  A  kind  of  cudgel;  also  a  blunt-edged  sword  used  as  a 
  foil. 
 
  Half  a  dozen  of  veneys  at  wasters  with  a  good  fellow 
  for  a  broken  head.  --Beau.  &  Fl 
 
  Being  unable  to  wield  the  intellectual  arms  of 
  reason,  they  are  fain  to  betake  them  unto  wasters. 
  --Sir  T. 
  Browne. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Thief  \Thief\  (th[=e]f),  n.;  pl  {Thieves}  (th[=e]vz).  [OE. 
  thef,  theef,  AS  [thorn]e['o]f;  akin  to  OFries  thiaf,  OS 
  theof,  thiof,  D.  dief,  G.  dieb,  OHG.  diob,  Icel. 
  [thorn]j[=o]fr,  Sw  tjuf  Dan.  tyv,  Goth.  [thorn]iufs, 
  [thorn]iubs,  and  perhaps  to  Lith.  tupeti  to  squat  or  crouch 
  down  Cf  {Theft}.] 
  1.  One  who  steals;  one  who  commits  theft  or  larceny.  See 
  {Theft}. 
 
  There  came  a  privy  thief,  men  clepeth  death. 
  --Chaucer. 
 
  Where  thieves  break  through  and  steal.  --Matt.  vi 
  19. 
 
  2.  A  waster  in  the  snuff  of  a  candle.  --Bp.  Hall. 
 
  {Thief  catcher}.  Same  as  {Thief  taker}. 
 
  {Thief  leader},  one  who  leads  or  takes  away  a  thief. 
  --L'Estrange. 
 
  {Thief  taker},  one  whose  business  is  to  find  and  capture 
  thieves  and  bring  them  to  justice. 
 
  {Thief  tube},  a  tube  for  withdrawing  a  sample  of  a  liquid 
  from  a  cask. 
 
  {Thieves'  vinegar},  a  kind  of  aromatic  vinegar  for  the  sick 
  room  taking  its  name  from  the  story  that  thieves,  by 
  using  it  were  enabled  to  plunder,  with  impunity  to 
  health,  in  the  great  plague  at  London.  [Eng.] 
 
  Syn:  Robber;  pilferer. 
 
  Usage:  {Thief},  {Robber}.  A  thief  takes  our  property  by 
  stealth;  a  robber  attacks  us  openly,  and  strips  us  by 
  main  force. 
 
  Take  heed,  have  open  eye,  for  thieves  do  foot  by 
  night.  --Shak. 
 
  Some  roving  robber  calling  to  his  fellows. 
  --Milton. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  thief 
  n  :  a  criminal  who  takes  property  belong  to  someone  else  with 
  the  intention  of  keeping  it




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