defalcate

defalcate

English

Etymology

1530s, in sense “to lop off”, from Medieval Latin dēfalcātus, perfect passive participle of dēfalcō (“cut or lop off”),[1] from Latin dē (“off”) + falx (“sickle, scythe, pruning hook”),[2] from which also English falcate (“sickle-shaped”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): [ˈdɛfəɫkeɪt]

Verb

defalcate (third-person singular simple present defalcates, present participle defalcating, simple past and past participle defalcated)

1. (transitive) To misappropriate funds; to embezzle.
2. (transitive) To cut off; to take away or deduct a part of (money, rents, income, etc.).
   • Burke

     To show what may be practicably and safely defalcated from the [the estimates].

Derived terms

• defalcation

Related terms

• falcate

Translations

embezzle

Bulgarian: злоупотребявам (bg) (zloupotrebjavam) Finnish: kavaltaa (fi)

Russian: расхища́ть (ru) (rasxiščátʹ), (преступно), растра́чивать (ru) (rastráčivatʹ),

See also

• lop

References

1. “defalcate” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.
2. “defalcation” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary, 2001–2019.

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Italian

Verb

defalcate

1. second-person plural present indicative of defalcare
2. second-person plural imperative of defalcare