defalcation
American
[dee-fal-key-shuhn, -fawl-]
/ ˌdi fælˈkeɪ ʃən, -fɔl- /
noun
Law.
-
misappropriation of money or funds held by an official, trustee, or other fiduciary.
-
the sum misappropriated.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of defalcation
1425–75; late Middle English: deduction from wages (< Middle French ) < Medieval Latin dēfalcātiōn- (stem of dēfalcātiō ) a taking away, equivalent to dēfalcāt ( us ) ( see defalcate) + -iōn- -ion
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
