▪ I. cozen, v.
(ˈkʌz(ə)n)
Forms: 6–9 cozen; also 6 cooson, -in, (cousinge, cossen, cussen), 6–7 coosen, cosen, coson, cousin, 7 cosin, cozon, coozen, cousen, -son, -zin, 7–8 couzen.
[Derivation uncertain.
The earliest trace of the word appears to be in the derivative cousoner in Awdelay's Fraternitie of Vacaboundes, 1561 (see cozener); it is not improbable that it arose among the vagabond class. It has generally been associated with cousin n., and compared with F. cousiner, explained by Cotgrave, 1611, as ‘to clayme kindred for aduantage, or particular ends; as he, who to saue charges in trauelling, goes from house to house, as cosin to the owner of euerie one’, by Littré as ‘faire le parasite sous prétexte de cousinage’. From this it is not far to a transitive sense ‘to cheat, beguile, under pretext of cousinship’: cf. also the phrase ‘to make a cousin of’ under cousin 8. Still, the transition is not evidenced in our quotations for this vb.; and it is noteworthy that while in cousin n. the ending -in predominates, this verb has sometimes -on, most commonly -en, the prevalent 17th. c. forms being cousen, couzen, cosen, cozen, the latter of which became the established form c 1710. In view of these difficulties, Mr. Smythe Palmer has suggested derivation from It. cozzonare, explained by Florio 1598–1611 as ‘to play the horse-breaker or courser..Also, to play the craftie knaue’, deriv. of cozzone, ‘a horse-breaker..a horse-courser. Also, a craftie knaue’. But this also presents difficulties, which the extant evidence is not sufficient to remove.]
1. trans. To cheat, defraud by deceit.
| 1573 Tusser Husb. (1878) 24 Delight not for pleasure two houses to keepe, least..Jankin and Jenikin coosen thee so to make thee repent it. 1577 J. Northbrooke Dicing (1843) 142 All is lost aforehand especially if two be confederate to cousin the thirde. 1594 West 2nd Pt. Symbol. §218 The offence of cosening taketh place if any thing be done by guile in or out of contracts. 1622–62 Heylyn Cosmogr. ii. (1682) 179 He that trusts to a Greek is sure to be couzened. 1633 G. Herbert Temple, Ch.-Porch lxxi, All worldly thoughts are but theeves met together To couzin thee. 1656 Sanderson Serm. (1689) 127 He would not willingly be cosened in his pay. 1790 Cowper Odyss. xiv. 464 Since an Œtolian cozen'd me. 1862 Ruskin Munera P. (1880) 8 They can only cozen their neighbours. |
b. Const. of, out of: cf. to cheat (out) of.
| 1602 T. Fitzherbert Apol. 23 a, Cosining a Ladie..of a certayne summe of money. 1622 Sir R. Hawkins Voy. S. Sea (1847) 28 They had cosoned the Earle of Cumberland..and others; some of five poundes, some of ten. 1692 R. L'Estrange Josephus' Antiq. xiii. xv. (1733) 340 Soldiers..had been couzen'd of their Pay. 1832 H. Martineau Hill & V. i. 5 He would be cozened out of no more money. |
c. absol.
| a 1593 H. Smith Wks. (1867) II. 226 Nor to lie for your pleasure, nor to cozen for riches. 1663 Butler Hudibras i. i. 508 A Light..For Spiritual Trades to cozen by. |
2. To deceive, dupe, beguile, impose upon.
| 1583 Stubbes Anat. Abus. ii. 47 Be not vtterly deceiued (or to speake in plainer termes, cosoned at their hands). 1598 Shakes. Merry W. v. v. 218 By gar I am cozoned, I ha married oon Garsoon, a boy. 1607 Hieron Wks. I. 397 Thus men coosen themselues with their owne fancies. a 1668 Sir W. Waller Div. Medit. (1839) 96 The picture of the grapes that cousened the birds. 1700 Dryden Fables, Ajax & Ulysses 265 All eyes were cozen'd by the borrow'd vest. 1822 Hazlitt Table-t. II. xiv. 322 Do not think..to cozen your contemporaries. 1867 Smiles Huguenots Eng. i. (1880) 3 Those agents..who best knew the art of deceiving and cozening the people. |
† b. To beguile, while away (time). Obs. rare—1.
| 1685 F. Spence House Medici 315 In Vienna, where he couzen'd his time in Love and Gallantry. |
c. absol.
| a 1839 Praed Poems (1864) II. 141 Asylums, hospitals and schools, He used to swear, were made to cozen. |
3. To beguile or cheat into, up, etc.; † to induce by deception to do a thing.
| 1599 Porter Angry Wom. Abingd. (Percy Soc. 1841) 57 Would ye haue me..cussen myselfe to beare her iniuries? a 1635 Corbet Iter Bor. 421 Our feet are still In the same posture cozen'd up the hill. 1647 Clarendon Hist. Reb. i. (1702) I. 74 It..couzen'd very many honest men into apprehensions very Prejudicial to the King. 1665 Dryden & Howard Ind. Queen i. i, Be cosen'd by thy guilty Honesty, To make thyself thy Country's Enemy. 1869 Trollope He Knew xliv. A man who was cozened into leaving every shilling away from his own children. |
Hence ˈcozened ppl. a.
| 1601 Shakes. All's Well iv. iv. 23 Sawcie trusting of the cosin'd thoughts Defiles the pitchy night. 1610 G. Fletcher Christ's Vict., The coozned birds busily take their flight. a 1845 Barham Ingol. Leg., Leech Folkestone (1877) 373 The cozened countryman. |
▪ II. cozen
obs. f. cousin.