defalcation
[ˌdɛfəɫˈkeɪʃən] · noun
Meaning
- The act of cancelling part of a claim by deducting a smaller claim which the claimant owes to the defendant.
- Embezzlement.
Etymology / origin
Late 15th century, from Medieval Latin dēfalcātiōnem, accusative singular of dēfalcātiō (literally “cutting off, lopping off with a sickle”), nominalization of dēfalcō, from Latin dē (“off”) + falx (“sickle, scythe, pruning hook”), from which also English falcate (“sickle-shaped”). By surface analysis, defalcate + -ion (“the act of”).
- dē(la)→
- dēfalcātiōnem(la-med)→
- defalcation (English)
- Relations: der, der
Related words
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