Dictionary

purloin en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /pɜːˈlɔɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)

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.

Meanings

1. (formal, humorous, transitive, usually) To take the property of another, often in breach of trust; to appropriate wrongfully; to steal.
   • Or was this simply another item Mr. Stink had purloined during his career as a gentleman thief? 2009 October 29, David Walliams [pseudonym; David Edward Williams], Mr Stink, London: HarperCollins Children’s Books, →ISBN:
   • Probably my acquaintance, Mr Blank, therefore, would have been able, if he had so wished to do, to purloin the papers which he mentioned. 1900, One Who Was in It, chapter 8, in Kruger's Secret Service, pages 168–169:
   • Had from his wakeful custody purloined / The guarded gold. 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
   • 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. 1916, chapter 4, in A. Cecil Curtis, transl., Royal Highness, translation of Königliche Hoheit by Thomas Mann:
2. (intransitive) To commit theft; to thieve.
   • The Apostle expressly forbiddeth servants to purloin (Titus 2:10). 1622, William Gouge, Of Domestical Duties, published 2006, →ISBN, page 454:

Forms

Deriveds

purloinment · purloiner · unpurloined

Translations (43)

ota خرسزلامق (to take the property of another) · fi kähveltää (to take the property of another) · sv tjuva (to commit theft; to thieve) · bg присвоявам (to take the property of another) · ota خرسزلامق (to commit theft; to thieve) · tr aşırmak (to take the property of another) · tr çalmak (to take the property of another) · sh prisvojiti (to take the property of another) · fi varastaa (to take the property of another) · de stehlen (to commit theft; to thieve) · is ræna (to take the property of another) · sh ukrasti (to commit theft; to thieve) · hu oroz (to take the property of another) · sh otuđiti (to take the property of another) · fi anastaa (to take the property of another) · fr dépouiller (to take the property of another) · hu eltulajdonít (to take the property of another) · hu elemel (to take the property of another) · hu eloroz (to take the property of another) · nl ontwenden (to take the property of another) · ko 빼앗다 (to take the property of another) · de entwenden (to take the property of another) · sv stjäla (to take the property of another) · it rubare (to commit theft; to thieve) · nl stelen (to commit theft; to thieve) · sv snatta (to commit theft; to thieve) · ru ворова́ть (to commit theft; to thieve) · ota چالمق (to commit theft; to thieve) · de mitgehen lassen (to take the property of another) · nl ontvreemden (to take the property of another) · el κλέβω (to take the property of another) · ota چالمق (to take the property of another) · tr yürütmek (to take the property of another) · ru красть (to commit theft; to thieve) · sv beslagta (to take the property of another) · ru присва́ивать (to take the property of another) · sv stjäla (to commit theft; to thieve) · is stela (to take the property of another) · is taka (to take the property of another) · hu lop (to take the property of another) · sh otuđiti (to commit theft; to thieve) · hu ellop (to take the property of another) · bg крада (to commit theft; to thieve)