decipimus

Decipimus is the first-person plural present indicative active form of the Latin verb decipio, decipere, decepi, deceptum. The verb means to deceive, trick, or mislead. It belongs to the third conjugation with an -io suffix, a class often called the third-conjugation -io verbs. Its principal parts are decipio, decipere, decepi, deceptum, and it forms a regular set of tenses within that conjugation.

In use, decipio takes a direct object in the accusative to indicate whom or what is deceived. Example constructions include Nos te decipimus (We deceive you) and Hostes nos decipunt (The enemies deceive us). The verb also appears with passive forms, such as decipior, deciperis, decipitur, decipimur, decipimini, decipiuntur, meaning “I am deceived” through “we are deceived.” The corresponding participle is deceptus, and the noun deceptio denotes deception or a deception scheme. The perfect active is decepi, with the pluperfect deceperam, deceperas, deceperat, and so on.

Etymology and related forms: the origin of decipio is uncertain, but it is typically analyzed as a Latin development perhaps built on a root related to taking or seizing, extended figuratively to mean misleading. The semantic field includes trickery, misrepresentation, and fraud, and it is connected to cognates such as deceptio (deception) and deceptrix in some compound or figurative uses.

In Latin literature, decipere and its forms are common for describing misleading appearances, fraudulent acts, or rhetorical falsehoods. The term survives in scholarly discussions of Latin grammar as a representative example of an -io verb in the third conjugation.