em·bez·zle

[em-bez-uhl]
verb (used with object), em·bez·zled, em·bez·zling.
to appropriate fraudulently to one's own use, as money or property entrusted to one's care.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English embesilen < Anglo-French embeseiller to destroy, make away with, equivalent to em- em-1 + beseiller, Old French beseiller to destroy < ?

em·bez·zle·ment, noun
em·bez·zler, noun
non·em·bez·zle·ment, noun
un·em·bez·zled, adjective


misappropriate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To embezzlement
Collins
World English Dictionary
embezzle (ɪmˈbɛzəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
to convert (money or property entrusted to one) fraudulently to one's own use
 
[C15: from Anglo-French embeseiller to destroy, from Old French beseiller to make away with, of uncertain origin]
 
em'bezzlement
 
n
 
em'bezzler
 
n

00:10
Embezzlement is always a great word to know.
So is zedonk. Does it mean:
the offspring of a zebra and a donkey.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
embezzle (ɪmˈbɛzəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
to convert (money or property entrusted to one) fraudulently to one's own use
 
[C15: from Anglo-French embeseiller to destroy, from Old French beseiller to make away with, of uncertain origin]
 
em'bezzlement
 
n
 
em'bezzler
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

embezzle
mid-15c., from Anglo-Fr. embesiler "to steal, cause to disappear" (c.1300), from O.Fr. besillier "torment, destroy, gouge," of unknown origin. Sense of "to dispose of fraudulently" is first recorded 1580s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

embezzlement definition


The stealing of money entrusted to one's care: “The treasurer of the company embezzled a million dollars.”

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
Among the alleged or admitted crimes: stealing federal funds, helping drug dealers and embezzlement.
Using an elaborate method to conceal her embezzlement from her employer, she was able to avoid audit detections of the company.
Embezzlement is stealing and stealing is a crime, specifically, a form of larceny.
He pleaded not guilty in his second trial on charges of embezzlement.
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