Pilfer
/ˈpɪl.fər/noun
To steal small amounts or items, especially in a sneaky way.
Did you know?Pilfer is probably related to Dutch and Low German words meaning 'to pluck' or 'pick off,' which is why it feels so much like a quick, hidden snatch rather than a violent robbery.
Etymological Timeline
Early 17th Century
English
pilfer
“To steal small items or to steal in petty, sneaky ways.”
16th–17th Century
Low German / Dutch
pilferen / pilveren
“To steal or purloin; a sneaking, petty theft.”
Middle Low German
Middelniederdeutsch
pilveren
“To pick or pluck, and by extension to steal bit by bit.”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*pil- / *pilaz?
“Uncertain; a likely base connected with picking or plucking, but not securely reconstructed.”