English
treachery
Treachery comes from Old French trichier ‘to cheat’.
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400trichieras tricher‘to cheat’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400tricherie
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trecherie
- Englishearliest quotation 1938treachery
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400trichieras tricher‘to cheat’
- Old French, derivedc. 842–1400tricherie
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500trecherie
- Englishearliest quotation 1938treachery
Earliest quotation: 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent: “These submerged treacheries left an atmosphere. Even two such…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *ter- ‘to rub’
term, thrill, tram, thro, 35 more
through Latin trīcae ‘trifles, toys, trumpery’
Today it means
noun Deliberate, often calculated, disregard for trust or faith.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Old French trichier / treachery