the.com/burglar
A thief with a work ethic: breaking and entering, then entering some more.
means A person who breaks into a building to steal things.
from From Anglo-Latin 'burglator,' likely built from Old English/Germanic roots meaning 'house' or 'fort' (related to 'burgh,' as in borough) plus a verb-like element tied to breaking or plundering — so at its core, roughly 'one who breaks into a stronghold.' The exact fusion is debated by etymologists, and medieval legal Latin reshaped it further into the 'burglar/burglary' we use today, cementing it as a specifically legal term for breaking into a dwelling.
- legal line
- requires unlawful entry with intent to commit a crime
- timing myth
- common law once required nighttime entry specifically
- no theft needed
- intent alone completes the crime, nothing has to be taken
- etymology
- from burgh plus Latin latro, literally town thief