defalcate
4 synonyms for defalcate, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To steal money that has been placed in your care.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
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).
Full origin of defalcate →