English word origin

Etymology of guile

From Middle English gile, from Anglo-Norman gile, from Old French guile (“deception”), from Frankish *wīl (“ruse”), from Proto-Germanic *wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To deceive, beguile, bewile.

noun

Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of cunning or artful deception. · Deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentiongileenm
Derivation mentionguilefro
Derivation mention*wīlągem-pro
Derivation mention*wey-ine-pro
Doublet mentionwileen

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "gile"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English gile"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "xno",
        "3": "gile"
      },
      "expansion": "Anglo-Norman gile"
    },
    {
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      "args": {
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        "2": "fro",
        "3": "guile",
        "4": "",
        "5": "deception"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French guile (“deception”)"
    },
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    },
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        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*wīlą"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *wīlą"
    },
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      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*wey-",
        "4": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
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        "notext": "1"
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      "gile#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "gile",
      "gile#Old_French"
    ],
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      "guile#Old_French"
    ],
    [
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      "deception"
    ],
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      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/wīl"
    ],
    [
      "*wīlą",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/wīlą"
    ],
    [
      "*wey-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wey-"
    ],
    [
      "wile",
      "wile#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To deceive, beguile, bewile."
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

Obsolete form of gold. · Alternative form of gyle.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variant forms.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for guile →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Z3VpbGU