defalcation

Noun

the sum of money that is misappropriated
the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property entrusted to your care but actually owned by someone else
The act of cancelling part of a claim by deducting a smaller claim which the claimant owes to the defendant.
Embezzlement.

Origin / 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 (“the act of”).

Synonyms

embezzlement, misapplication, misappropriation, peculation

Scrabble Score: 17

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

Words With Friends Score: 20

defalcation: valid Words With Friends Word