peculate
[ pek-yuh-leyt ]
See synonyms for: peculatepeculation on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with or without object),pec·u·lat·ed, pec·u·lat·ing.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, especially public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
Origin of peculate
1First recorded in 1740–50; verb use of peculate “embezzlement” (now obsolete), from Latin past participle and noun pecūlātus “embezzled; embezzlement,” equivalent to pecūlā(rī) ) “to embezzle,” literally, “to make public property private” + -tus suffix of verbal action, derivative of pecu “wealth, livestock, movable property”; see origin at peculiar, -ate1
Other words from peculate
- pec·u·la·tion, noun
- pec·u·la·tor, noun
- un·pec·u·lat·ing, adjective
Words Nearby peculate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use peculate in a sentence
No man ever paid a bribe for the handling of the public money, but to peculate from it.
He knows how pedants hoodwink people, how priests act the hypocrite, how physicians act the rake, how lawyers peculate.
The Three Devils: Luther's, Milton's, and Goethe's | David Masson
British Dictionary definitions for peculate
peculate
/ (ˈpɛkjʊˌleɪt) /
verb
to appropriate or embezzle (public money)
Origin of peculate
1C18: from Latin pecūlārī, from pecūlium private property (originally, cattle); see peculiar
Derived forms of peculate
- peculation, noun
- peculator, noun
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
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