defalcation
4 synonyms for defalcation, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — (law) The cancelling of part of a claim by setting it against a smaller amount that the claimant owes.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
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...
Full origin of defalcation →