defalcation
[ˌdɛfəɫˈkeɪʃən] noun
Forms defalcations
- noun (law) The act of cancelling part of a claim by deducting a smaller claim which the claimant owes to the defendant.
- noun Embezzlement.
Synonyms
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”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun A lopping off; a diminution; abatement; deficit. Specifically: Reduction of a claim by deducting a counterclaim; set-off. Abbott.
- noun That which is lopped off, diminished, or abated.
Etymology [LL. defalcatio: cf. F. défalcation.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “defalcation”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details