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Thief vs Larceny - What's the difference?

thief | larceny |

As nouns the difference between thief and larceny

is that thief is one who has carried out a theft while larceny is (legal) the unlawful taking of personal property as an attempt to deprive the legal owner of it permanently.

thief

English

Noun

(thieves)
  • One who has carried out a theft.
  • (obsolete) A waster in the snuff of a candle.
    • (Bishop Hall)

    Hyponyms

    * burglar * cat burglar * mugger * robber * pickpocket

    Related terms

    * thieve * thief in law

    Derived terms

    * *

    Anagrams

    * English nouns with irregular plurals

    larceny

    English

    Noun

  • (legal) The unlawful taking of personal property as an attempt to deprive the legal owner of it permanently.
  • (legal) A larcenous act attributable to an individual.
    • That young man already has four assaults, a DUI, and a larceny on his record.

    Derived terms

    * grand larceny * petty larceny

    References