Definition of DEFALCATE

defalcate

Verb

  • appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care) fraudulently to one's own use
  • To misappropriate funds; to embezzle.
  • To cut off (a part of something).
  • To deduct or take away (a part of income, money, rents, etc.).

Origin / 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).

Scrabble Score: 15

defalcate: valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
defalcate: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
defalcate: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 17

defalcate is a valid Words With Friends word