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defalcation

 - 4 dictionary results

de⋅fal⋅ca⋅tion

[dee-fal-key-shuhn, -fawl-]
–noun Law.
1. misappropriation of money or funds held by an official, trustee, or other fiduciary.
2. the sum misappropriated.

Origin:
1425–75; late ME: deduction from wages (< MF) < ML dēfalcātiōn- (s. of dēfalcātiō) a taking away, equiv. to dēfalcāt(us) (see defalcate ) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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de·fal·cate   (dĭ-fāl'kāt', -fôl'-, děf'əl-)   
intr.v.   de·fal·cat·ed, de·fal·cat·ing, de·fal·cates
To misuse funds; embezzle.

[Medieval Latin dēfalcāre, dēfalcāt-, to mow, deduct : Latin dē-, de- + Latin falx, falc-, sickle.]
de'fal·ca'tion (dē'fāl-kā'shən, -fôl-, děf'əl-) n., de·fal'ca'tor n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

defalcation 
1476, from M.L. defalcationem, from defalcare, from de- + L. falx "pruning hook."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: de·fal·ca·tion
Pronunciation: "dE-"fal-'kA-sh&n, -"fol-, di-; "de-f&l-'kA-sh&n
Function: noun
Etymology: earlier, deduction, lessening, shortcoming, from Medieval Latin defalcatio discounting of debt, from defalcare to cut down, deduct, from Latin de- away from + falc-, falx sickle
1 : failure to account for or pay over money that has been entrusted to one's care; also : an instance of such failure —compare EMBEZZLE, MISAPPROPRIATE
NOTE: Defalcation does not necessarily involve culpability or misconduct.
2 : a failure to meet a promise or expectation defalcations did not end with its refusal to submit a desegregation plan —S. L. Lynch>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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