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bribe

(brīb)

1. Money or some other benefit given to a person in power, especially a public official, in an effort to cause the person to take a particular action.

2. Something offered to induce another to do something: tried to use dessert as a bribe to get the child to cooperate.

v. bribed, brib·ing, bribes

v.tr.

To give, offer, or promise a bribe to.

v.intr.

To give, offer, or promise bribes.

[Middle English, from Old French, piece of bread given as alms.]

briba·ble adj.

briber n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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