deceived
UK[dɪˈsiːvd]US[dɪˈsiːvd]
v
(past tense and past participle of deceive) To make someone believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain a personal advantage.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
ceive
ed
de
away, from
ceive
take, seize
ed
past tense suffix
Etymology
The word 'deceived' originates from the Latin verb decipere, meaning "to ensnare, take in, cheat." This Latin term is a compound of the prefix de- ("from, away") and the verb capere ("to take"). The literal, ancient sense was "to take away from" or "to catch," which evolved into the figurative meaning of leading someone away from the truth by catching them in a falsehood. Through Old French deceivre, the term entered Middle English, retaining the core concept of causing someone to accept a falsehood as true. The modern abstract meaning of deliberately causing a belief in something untrue for personal gain directly follows this historical logic of being "taken in" or "captured" by a lie.
Analysis
Structure: de (away, from) + ceive (take, seize) + ed (past tense suffix)
- de: A Latin prefix meaning "away, from, off, down," indicating reversal or removal.
- ceive: From the Latin root capere, meaning "to take, seize, grasp," as seen in its English spelling variant "-ceive."
- ed: An Old English suffix used to form the past tense and past participle of regular verbs.
Examples
She felt deeply hurt when she discovered she had been deceived by her closest friend.
The magician's clever trick deceived the entire audience.
He deceived himself into believing the project would be easy.