▪ I. deceit
(dɪˈsiːt)
Forms: α. 4 deseyt(e, 4–5 -sait(e, 4–6 -ceyt(e, 4–7 -ceite, 5 -sayte, -sate, 6 -ceat, -seite, -seytte, -saitte, -sette, 4– deceit. β. 5 deceipte, 5–7 -ceipt, 5–6 -cept(e. γ. 4–6 desceit, -sayte, 5 desseit, -seyt(e, -sait, -sate, 6 desceyt. δ. 4 disseyte, -saite, -sayte, Sc. dissat, 4–5 disseit, -ceite, 5 dissayet, dysseyte, -sayt, 5–6 dissait, -sate, dis-, dysceyt(e, 5–7 disceit, 6 -ceat(e, -sayt(e. ε. 6 dis-, dyscept, -ceipte.
[ME. deceite, deseyte, desaite, etc., a. OF. deceite, -eyte (later de{cced}oite): n. fem. from pa. pple. of deceveir, décevoir, with assimilation of vowel, as in deceive. (Cf. conceit.)
In ME. and early mod.Eng. with many varieties of spelling, partly inherited from Fr., partly due to Eng. change of OF. ei to ai, ay, and consequent interchange of c and s, whence arose such forms as desait, Sc. desate. In OF. the spelling was sometimes assimilated to Latin decepta, as decepte, whence in Eng. deceipte. But in both langs. the p was mute; the oldest Gower MSS. have deceipte, deceite, but the word rimes with streite (strait); the ordinary 17th c. pronunciation rimed it with -ait, as in Wither a 1667 bait: deceit; cf. the common 16th c. spellings in -sait, -sate, -ceat. The narrowing of ē to ī came later. In OF. the prefix de- was sometimes changed to des- (see de- I. 6), which became very common in ME., and was here, moreover, in the general alteration of the French form des- back to the Latin dis-, subjected to the same change, so as to give, in 15–16th c., such odd spellings as dis-ceat, dis-sait, dis-sate (all meaning (dɪˈseːt)): cf. deceive.]
1. The action or practice of deceiving; concealment of the truth in order to mislead; deception, fraud, cheating, false dealing.
| c 1300 K. Alis. 6157 By queyntise to don, other deseyte. c 1386 Chaucer Pars. T. ¶703 Deceipt bitwixe marchaunt and marchaunt. 1393 Gower Conf. II. 318 And that he dide for deceipt, For she began to axe him streit. 1426 Audelay Poems 6 Dysseyte ne theft loke thou do non. 1483 Cath. Angl. 101 Dissate, vbi dessate. 1535 Coverdale Mal. iii. 8 Shulde a man vse falsede and disceate with God? 1552 Lyndesay Monarche 5780 Leif ȝour dissait and crafty wylis. 1667 Milton P.L. v. 243 By violence? no..But by deceit and lies. 1794 S. Williams Vermont 170 The deceit, knavery, and fraud of the European traders. 1849 Ruskin Sev. Lamps ii. §6. 32 Gilding, which in architecture is no deceit, because it is therein not understood for gold. |
b. in Law.
| [1275 Act 3 Edw. I, c. 29 Nul manere deceyte ou collusion.] 1495 Nottingham Rec. III. 285 Accion of desseyte ffor brekynge off promyse. 1531 Dial. on Laws Eng. ii. xlii. (1638) 135 A false returne whereupon an action of disceit lyeth. 1672 Cowell, Deceit..is a subtle, wily shift or device, having no other name. 1818 Cruise Digest (ed. 2) IV. 294 All manner of deceit is hereby avoided in deeds. |
† c. Phr. in deceit of: so as to deceive; so to the deceit of, upon d., under d. with no deceit, without deceit: without mistake, assuredly, certainly. Obs.
| [1275 Act 3 Edw. I, c. 29 De fere la en deceyte de la Court.] 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 3814 He durst come oute on no party Of all þe twelve monþe wyþ no deseyt. c 1350 Will. Palerne 2041 Wiþoute disseyte, I wold alle hire werk do ȝou wite sone. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. i. 77 Hus sele sholde noȝt be sent in deceit of þe puple. c 1425 Hampole's Psalter Metr. Pref. 32 Betwene dancastir and Poumefreyt this is þe way..euen streygth wiþ out deseyt. 1534 Indictm. Eliz. Bocking in Hall Chron. (1550) 221 To the great deceit of the prince and people of this realme. 1535 Coverdale 1 Chron. xiii. 17 Yf ye come vpon disceate, and to be mine aduersaries. 1535 ― 1 Macc. vii. 10 Speakinge vnto them with peaceable wordes: but vnder disceate. a 1626 Bacon Max. & Uses Com. Law (1636) 8 Selling..things unwholsome, or ill made in deceipt of the people. |
2. (with a and pl.) An instance of deception; an act or device intended to deceive; a trick, stratagem, wile.
| c 1340 Cursor M. 897 (Fairf.) For þi dissayte at þou dede. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 104 Þe deuelis disceitis. 14.. Piers of Fulham 95 in Hazl. E.P.P. II. 5 The fowler with hys deseyttes bryngeth The gentyll fowles in to hys false crafte. 1548–9 (Mar.) Bk. Com. Prayer, Litany, Al the deceytes of the worlde, the fleshe, and the deuill. 1559 Cecil in Robertson Hist. Scotl. II. App. i, To avoid the decepts and tromperies of the French. a 1667 Wither Stedfast Shepherd i, Thy painted baits, And poor deceits, Are all bestowed on me in vain. 1713 Swift Cadenus & V., Venus thought on a deceit. c 1793 Coleridge Autumnal Evening ii, O dear deceit! I see the maiden rise. |
3. The quality of deceiving; deceitfulness.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 12494 What doust þou byfore þe prest and hast deseyt yn þy brest? c 1400 Destr. Troy 3788 Ulexes..was..full of disseit. 1526 Tindale Rom. i. 29 Full of envie, morther, debate, disseyte. 1577 tr. Bullinger's Decades (1592) 20 The care of this world and the deceipt of riches. 1845 Manning Serm. I. ix. On Jas. i. 22 It is a vain and hurtful thing, full of deceit and danger, to hear and not to do. |
▪ II. † deˈceit, v. Obs. rare.
Hence 5 desetyng vbl. n.
[f. deceit n.]
To construct deceitfully, to forge (a document).
| 1484 in Surtees Misc. (1890) 43 Declaracion concernyng the disetyng of a fals testimoniall [called p. 42 the forsaid forged, false testymonyall]. |