purloin
UK[pɜːˈlɔɪn]US[pɜːrˈlɔɪn]
v
to steal something, especially in a secret or stealthy manner.
Etymology
the word 'purloin' entered english in the 15th century from the anglo-norman word 'purloigner', meaning 'to put away, remove'. this, in turn, came from the old french 'porloignier', a combination of 'por-' (forth) and 'loign' (far), from the latin 'longe' (at a distance). the core semantic logic traces back to the idea of removing something to a distance, which evolved into the specific sense of taking something dishonestly or stealthily. its journey from a general term for removal to a specific legal and literary term for theft illustrates a classic narrowing of meaning.
Analysis
the word is a simplex unit derived from anglo-norman. it does not contain separable morphemes in modern english.
Examples
the clerk was caught attempting to purloin funds from the company safe.
the valuable manuscript was purloined from the library decades ago and never recovered.
he used his position of trust to purloin sensitive documents for personal gain.