delude

Where does the word "delude" come from? It comes from Latin deludere, and was adopted directly into English (1400s).

Delude’s story begins in Latin: deludere meant “to deceive, to play false.” To deceive, to play false, from de- (down, thoroughly) and ludere (to play). It reached English by 1400s as delude. Settled as the English word for deceiving someone's mind or judgment. Today, delude means to deceive someone into believing something false.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient deludere "to deceive, to play false", to deceive, to play false, from de- (down, thoroughly) and ludere (to play).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1400s delude "to deceive someone's mind or judgment", settled as the English word for deceiving someone's mind or judgment.