coz·en
(kŭz′ən)v. coz·ened, coz·en·ing, coz·ens
v.tr.1. To mislead by means of a petty trick or fraud; deceive.
2. To persuade or induce to do something by cajoling or wheedling.
3. To obtain by deceit or persuasion.
v.intr. To act deceitfully.
[Probably ultimately (perhaps via Middle English cosin, fraud, trickery) from Old French cosson, middleman, trader, or obsolete Italian cozzonare, to cheat (from Italian cozzone, horse-trader), both ultimately from Latin cōciō, coctiō, dealer, perhaps of Etruscan origin.]
coz′en·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.