English

joke thief

From joke + thief.

A compound of joke + thief

Proto-Indo-European *yek- ‘to speak’

Proto-Indo-European *yokos ‘word’

Proto-Italic *jokos ‘word’

Latin iocus ‘joke’

English joke

Proto-Germanic *þeubaz

Proto-West Germanic *þeub

Old English þēof

Middle English thef ‘a fraudster or con artist’

English thief

Today it means

noun A comic who steals another comedian's material.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / joke thief