entry
fraud
/frɔd/deceptive act for unfair gain
From Latin fraus (deceit).
from Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.)
+1 more sourcefrom Old French fraude "deception, fraud" (13c.)
+1 more sourceFraud arrived in English wearing a legal robe, but its Latin ancestor fraus was nastier than it looks: not just deceit, but injury too. That double edge is why the word feels so sharp when someone gets cheated out of money, a signature, or even a passport. It also hangs around with a small family of grim cousins: frustrate and frustration come from Latin frustra, which is tied to the same old idea of being cheated or brought to nothing. So when a scheme collapses, Latin is still there whispering that nothing has been merely wasted — it has been frauded into failure.
The Story
Fraud arrived in English wearing a legal robe, but its Latin ancestor fraus was nastier than it looks: not just deceit, but injury too. That double edge is why the word feels so sharp when someone gets cheated out of money, a signature, or even a passport. It also hangs around with a small family of grim cousins: frustrate and frustration come from Latin frustra, which is tied to the same old idea of being cheated or brought to nothing. So when a scheme collapses, Latin is still there whispering that nothing has been merely wasted — it has been frauded into failure.
Kin & Kindred
From 'fraus'·deceit, injury, cheat
Derived Terms
English words from this root