English

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Verb

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

  1. (intransitive) To misappropriate funds; to embezzle.
  2. (transitive, obsolete)
    1. To cut off (a part of something).
    2. To deduct or take away (a part of income, money, rents, etc.).
      • 1769, [Edmund Burke], Observations on a Late State of the Nation, London: [] J[ames] Dodsley, [], →OCLC, page 42:
        One would have thought the natural method in a plan of reformation vvould be, to take the preſent exiſting eſtimates as they ſtand; and then to ſhevv vvhat may be practicably and ſafely defalcated from them.

Derived terms

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Translations

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “defalcate”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “defalcation”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Italian

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Verb

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defalcate

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