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unsettle

 [uhn-set-l]   Origin

un·set·tle

   [uhn-set-l] verb, -tled, -tling.
verb (used with object)
1.
to alter from a settled state; cause to be no longer firmly fixed or established; render unstable; disturb: Violence unsettled the government.
2.
to shake or weaken (beliefs, feelings, etc.); cause doubt or uncertainty about: doubts unsettling his religious convictions.
3.
to vex or agitate the mind or emotions of; upset; discompose: The quarrel unsettled her.
verb (used without object)
4.
to become unfixed or disordered.

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Unsettle is one of our favorite verbs.
So is peculate. Does it mean:
to run away hurriedly; flee.
to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care); embezzle.
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Origin:
1535–45; un-2 + settle1

Synonyms
2. upset, disturb, unbalance, confuse, disconcert.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To unsettle
Collins
World English Dictionary
unsettle (ʌnˈsɛtəl)
 
—vb
1.  (usually tr) to change or become changed from a fixed or settled condition
2.  (tr) to confuse or agitate (emotions, the mind, etc)
 
un'settlement
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

unsettle
1598, "undo from a fixed position, from un- (2) + settle. Of the mind, feelings, etc., attested from 1644. Unsettled "not peaceful, not firmly established" is recorded from 1591. Meaning "not occupied by settlers" is attested from 1724.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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