English
deceiver
Deceiver comes from Anglo-Norman decevour, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kap-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1root named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400decevour1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500deceyvour1‘a deceiver or defrauder’
- Englishearliest quotation 1983deceiver1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English deceiver
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Matt Johnson, The Sinking Feeling: “My memory my fond deceiver / Is turning all…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, English deceiverroot named by Wiktionary · steps between not traced
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400decevourWiktionary, English deceiver
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500deceyvourWiktionary, English deceiver‘a deceiver or defrauder’
- Englishearliest quotation 1983deceiverWiktionary, English deceiver. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Matt Johnson, The Sinking Feeling: “My memory my fond deceiver / Is turning all…”
Equivalent to deceive + -er
Proto-Indo-European *kap-
…
Latin capiō ‘to seize’
Latin dēcipiō ‘to deceive’
Anglo-Norman deceivre
Middle English deceyven ‘to deceive, trick, or mislead’
English deceive
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap-
had, case, head, capital, heavy, cash, captain, catch, except, capacity, behavior, accept, escape, capable, cable, heavily, chapter, chase, capture, achieve, cape, chef, occupation, cattle, cabin, chapel, recipe, capitol, receive, haven, reception, perception, capita, hawk, behave, recipient, anticipation, anticipate, caption, capsule, 176 more
Today it means
noun A person who lies or deceives.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “deceiver”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / deceiver