From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Deceive \De*ceive"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Deceived}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Deceiving}.] [OE. deceveir, F. d['e]cevoir, fr. L.
decipere to catch, insnare, deceive; de- + capere to take,
catch. See {Capable}, and cf. {Deceit}, {Deception}.]
1. To lead into error; to cause to believe what is false, or
disbelieve what is true; to impose upon; to mislead; to
cheat; to disappoint; to delude; to insnare.
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Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse,
deceiving, and being deceived. --2 Tim. iii.
13.
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Nimble jugglers that deceive the eye. --Shak.
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What can 'scape the eye
Of God all-seeing, or deceive his heart? --Milton.
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2. To beguile; to amuse, so as to divert the attention; to
while away; to take away as if by deception.
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These occupations oftentimes deceived
The listless hour. --Wordsworth.
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3. To deprive by fraud or stealth; to defraud. [Obs.]
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Plant fruit trees in large borders, and set therein
fine flowers, but thin and sparingly, lest they
deceive the trees. --Bacon.
Syn: {Deceive}, {Delude}, {Mislead}.
Usage: Deceive is a general word applicable to any kind of
misrepresentation affecting faith or life. To delude,
primarily, is to make sport of, by deceiving, and is
accomplished by playing upon one's imagination or
credulity, as by exciting false hopes, causing him to
undertake or expect what is impracticable, and making
his failure ridiculous. It implies some infirmity of
judgment in the victim, and intention to deceive in
the deluder. But it is often used reflexively,
indicating that a person's own weakness has made him
the sport of others or of fortune; as, he deluded
himself with a belief that luck would always favor
him. To mislead is to lead, guide, or direct in a
wrong way, either willfully or ignorantly.
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