English
reverse-pickpocket
From reverse + pickpocket.
A compound of reverse + pickpocket
Latin versō ‘to turn’
Latin reversō ‘to turn back’
Latin reversus ‘turned back’
Anglo-Norman revers
Middle English revers ‘reversed’
English reverse
Today it means
verb To slip something into someone's pocket or pocketbook, without their knowledge, sometimes as a gesture of generosity.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “reverse-pickpocket”. 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 / reverse-pickpocket