Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

defalcation

[ˌdɛfəɫˈkeɪʃən]

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: de-fal-ca-tion
IPA: [ˌdɛfəɫˈkeɪʃən]

17

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

4

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The act of cancelling part of a claim by deducting a smaller claim which the claimant owes to the defendant.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"Granting that Mr. Ireland had gone into his office at ten minutes to ten o'clock at night for the purpose of extracting £5000 worth of notes and gold from the bank safe, whilst giving the theft the appearance of a night burglary; […] why should he, at nine o'clock the following morning, fall in a dead faint and get cerebral congestion at sight of a defalcation he knew had occurred?"
"“Why should Eldridge commit murder?[…]There was only one possible motive—namely, he wished to avoid detection as James Selby of Anaconda Ltd. He had settled down in Estrepps. There were several persons in the town who had suffered from his defalcations.[…]”"
"Assassination is pointless. Leningrad would quickly cover up his defalcations and make him into a martyr."

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”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: dēfalcātiōnem, dē

Regional Pronunciation

British English: [ˌdɛfəɫˈkeɪʃən]

Usage

Inflected Forms

defalcations (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

defalcate falcate

Synonyms

embezzlement peculation misapplication misappropriation

Questions

How do you pronounce defalcation?: The recorded pronunciation is [ˌdɛfəɫˈkeɪʃən].
What does defalcation mean?: The act of cancelling part of a claim by deducting a smaller claim which the claimant owes to the defendant.
Where does defalcation come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce defalcation

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