thief(n.)
古英语 þeof “小偷,强盗”,源自原始日耳曼语 *theuba-(也源自古弗里西亚语 thiaf,古撒克逊语 thiof,中古荷兰语和荷兰语 dief,古高地德语 diob,德语 dieb,古诺尔斯语 þiofr,哥特语 þiufs),一个起源不明的词。
A thief takes other people's property without their knowledge ; a robber takes it openly, whether or not resistance is offered : in a looser sense, thief is often applied to one who takes a small amount, and robber to one who takes a large amount. [Century Dictionary, 1895]
thief “小偷”在未经他人同意的情况下拿走别人的财产; robber “强盗”则公然拿走,无论是否有抵抗:在较宽松的意义上, thief 通常用于指拿走少量财物的人,而 robber 则用于指拿走大量财物的人。[世纪词典,1895年]