Crafty
/ˈkræf.ti/noun
Skilled in practical matters; also sly or deceitful.
Did you know?The word comes from Old English *cræft*, meaning strength, skill, or art, and its darker meaning of “sly” developed later because real skill was often associated with cleverness and strategic deception.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*kraftaz
“strength, power, skill”
Old English
OE
cræft
“strength; skill; art; a trade or occupation”
Old English
OE
cræftig
“strong, skillful, capable”
Middle English
ME
crafty
“skillful, clever; later, sly or deceitful”
Modern English
English
crafty
“skillful at achieving one's aims, especially by being cunning or deceitful”
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