defalcate

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: [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)

See also

• lop

References

---

Italian

Verb form

defalcate

1. second-person plural present tense and imperative of defalcare.