# defalcate

> English word · Verb · IPA [ˈdɛfəɫkeɪt]

## Definitions
1. To misappropriate funds; to embezzle.
2. To cut off (a part of something).
3. To deduct or take away (a part of income, money, rents, etc.).

## 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).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/defalcate