defalcate

[dih-fal-keyt, -fawl-]

See more synonyms for defalcate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), de·fal·cat·ed, de·fal·cat·ing. Law.

to be guilty of defalcation.

Origin of defalcate

1530–40; < Medieval Latin dēfalcātus (past participle of dēfalcāre to cut off), equivalent to dē- de- + falcātus; see falcate

Related formsde·fal·ca·tor, nounun·de·fal·cat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for defalcate

embezzle, misuse, plunder, misspend, swindle, bereave, raid, cheat, lose, mug, defraud, strip, divest, loot, hijack, ransack, misappropriate, pilfer, purloin, filch

Examples from the Web for defalcate

Historical Examples of defalcate

No one can defalcate in this particular; no one can Texas-ize and be quit of his transgressions and his onward travel.
The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, April 1844
Various

British Dictionary definitions for defalcate

defalcate

verb

(intr) law to misuse or misappropriate property or funds entrusted to one

Derived Formsdefalcation, noundefalcator, noun

Word Origin for defalcate

C15: from Medieval Latin dēfalcāre to cut off, from Latin de- + falx sickle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for defalcate

1530s, "to lop off," from Medieval Latin defalcatus, past participle of defalcare (see defalcation). Modern scientific use dates from 1808.