defraud
UK[dɪˈfrɔːd]US[dɪˈfrɔːd]
v
To illegally obtain money or property from someone by deception.
Morpheme Breakdown
de
fraud
de
completely
fraud
deceit
Etymology
The word "defraud" is a direct borrowing from the Anglo-French verb defrauder, which itself originates from the Latin defraudare, meaning "to cheat." This Latin term is a compound of the intensive prefix de- and the noun fraus, meaning "deceit" or "injury." The core concept of fraus can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root dhreu-, meaning "to fall" or "to fail," which metaphorically extended to the idea of causing someone to fail or stumble through trickery. Thus, the literal sense of "to completely deceive" evolved seamlessly into the modern legal and financial meaning of obtaining something through deliberate misrepresentation.
Analysis
Structure: de (completely) + fraud (deceit)
- de: A Latin prefix meaning "completely," "down," or "away." In this word, it functions as an intensifier.
- fraud: From Latin fraus (deceit, injury). It functions as the core root carrying the meaning of deception.
Examples
He was convicted for using false documents to defraud the insurance company.
The scheme was designed to defraud elderly investors of their life savings.
Laws exist to protect consumers from being defrauded by unscrupulous sellers.