defalcate

American

[dih-fal-keyt, -fawl-] / dɪˈfæl keɪt, -ˈfɔl- /

verb (used without object)

Law.

defalcated, defalcating

to be guilty of defalcation.

defalcate British

/ ˈdiːfælˌkeɪt /

verb

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

"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

Other Word Forms

defalcation noun
defalcator noun
undefalcated adjective

Etymology

Origin of defalcate

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An embezzler can not defalcate in Nova Scotia, lightly skip into Manitoba and put both provinces to expense and technical trouble apprehending him.

From The Canadian Commonwealth by Laut, Agnes C. (Agnes Christina)

Jest like a criminal he skipped, an' aimed to defalcate The Chewed-ear Jenkins Hirsute Propagation Syndicate.

From Rhymes of a Rolling Stone by Service, Robert W. (Robert William)

No one can defalcate in this particular; no one can Texas-ize and be quit of his transgressions and his onward travel.

From The Knickerbocker, or New-York Monthly Magazine, April 1844 Volume 23, Number 4 by Clark, Lewis Gaylord

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023