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Glite Dictionary
💸 Stolen funds 💸 Stealing entrusted money
defalcation

defalcation

1 9.9
An amount of money taken illegally by someone trusted to manage it
  • noun
  • /ˌdɛfəˈlkeɪʃən/
  • Formal
translation icon : monto malversado
  • The audit revealed a substantial defalcation in the company's accounts.

Examples

  • The company's defalcation was discovered during an audit.

  • The treasurer was accused of defalcation after several thousand dollars went missing.

  • Insurance covered the bank's losses due to defalcation by an employee.

  • He was charged with defalcation after the funds went missing.

  • The accountant was arrested for defalcation after millions went missing from the funds.

  • The company's financial troubles were caused by a defalcation committed by its former treasurer.

  • During the audit, the team discovered a large defalcation that had gone unnoticed for years.

How Much

loss
695 2.1
defalcation
  • Formal
1 9.9
shortfall
50 5.5
little
1 1.0

Surface Forms

defalcation singular
defalcations plural

Morphology

defalcation = defalcate (opaque) = defalcate + ion

The noun is derived from the uncommon verb 'defalcate' and the formation is not transparent to average learners.

Etymology

Defalcation comes from Latin parts de- 'away' and falx 'sickle', so it originally meant 'a cutting away'. That helps remember the second meaning: a defalcation can be the amount of money that was 'cut away' or taken from the accounts.