Standard Lemma guide

defalcate

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: [ˈdɛfəɫkeɪt]
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To misappropriate funds; to embezzle.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To cut off (a part of something).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To deduct or take away (a part of income, money, rents, etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete, transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The accountant embezzled thousands of dollars while working for the wealthy family

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: embezzle, peculate, misappropriate, malversate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: steal

Narrower terms: fiddle

History

Etymology

First attested in the 1530s, in the sense “to lop off”; borrowed from Medieval Latin dēfalcātus, perfect passive participle of dēfalcō (“to cut or lop off”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin dē (“off”) + falx (“sickle, scythe, pruning hook”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix).

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: shpërdoroj — to misappropriate funds — see also embezzle
  • Bulgarian: злоупотребявам (zloupotrebjavam) — to misappropriate funds — see also embezzle
  • Czech: defraudovat — to misappropriate funds — see also embezzle
  • Czech: zpronevěřit — to misappropriate funds — see also embezzle
  • Finnish: kavaltaa — to misappropriate funds — see also embezzle
  • Russian: расхища́ть (rasxiščátʹ) — to misappropriate funds — see also embezzle
  • Russian: растра́чивать (rastráčivatʹ) — to misappropriate funds — see also embezzle
  • Spanish: desfalcar — to misappropriate funds — see also embezzle