deceit

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French deceite, deçoite, from decevoir (to deceive), from Latin dēcipere (to cheat, mislead).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /dɪˈsiːt/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -iːt

Noun

deceit (plural deceits)

  1. An act or practice intended to deceive; a trick.
    The whole conversation was merely a deceit.
  2. An act of deceiving someone.
    • 1998, Mike Dixon-Kennedy, Encyclopedia of Greco-Roman Mythology, page 125:
      Upon his return he killed Eriphyle for her vanity and deceit of him and his father.
  3. (uncountable) The state of being deceitful or deceptive.
  4. (law) The tort or fraudulent representation of a material fact made with knowledge of its falsity, or recklessly, or without reasonable grounds for believing its truth and with intent to induce reliance on it; the plaintiff justifiably relies on the deception, to his injury.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

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