Cozen is a verb that means to trick or deceive.
The Latin word cocio (COE see oh) means ‘dealer,’ but after a trip through the Italian language, the word evolved into a verb cozzonare (coe zone ARE ay) meaning ‘to cheat.’ By the late 16th century it landed in English as our word of the day. Here’s an example of cozen in use:
Sorry I didn’t reply to your email sooner. I was afraid that your request for my home address was an attempt to cozen me out of my money. From now on, mom, I’ll trust that you aren’t trying to cheat me.
