Cozen vs Cowen - What's the difference?
cozen | cowen |
(archaic) To cheat; to defraud; to beguile; to deceive, usually by small arts, or in a pitiful way.
* 1602 , , Act III, Scene 2,
* , 1851, The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor , Volume 1,
* 1866 , Spoils, By a Receiver'', Charles Chauncey Burr (editor), ''The Old Guard: A Monthly Journal Devoted to the Principles of 1776 and 1787 , Volume 4,
* 1914 , , The Gates of Doom , 2001,
As a verb cozen
is to cheat; to defraud; to beguile; to deceive, usually by small arts, or in a pitiful way.As a noun cowen is
obsolete spelling of lang=en one uninitiated in the secrets of Freemasonry.cozen
English
Verb
(en verb)- What devil was't / That thus hath cozen'd you at hoodman-blind?
page 895,
- It is certain that children may be cozened into goodness, and sick men to health, and passengers in a storm into safety; and the reason of these is, — because not only the end is fair, and charitable, and just, but the means are such which do no injury to the persons which are to receive benefit;.
page 497,
- The man, too, who has been matrimonially cozened''''', "would all the world might be '''cozened'''," for he has been '''cozened''', and beaten too; but with him the cudgel is "hallowed;" he would "hang it o'er the altar;" perhaps for the reason given by the "Merry Wives of Windsor," because "it hath done meritorious service;" and no sooner is he, by a seemingly merciful disposition of Providence, released from the cudgeler, but he is in haste to be ' cozened and beaten again.
page 217,
- But that you should have been cozened' with me, that my ' cozening should in part have been a natural sequel to your own, rather than an independent error of mine, is a helpful reflection to me in this dark hour.
Usage notes
Modern usage is generally to effect a dated style.References
* Webster's New School and Office Dictionary, copyright 1962 *"cozen"on Online Etymology Dictionary