embezzle
/ɪmˈbɛz.əl/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: 2.01 in modern English
30
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works.
Example Sentences
- "You waste your education in burglary. You should do one of two things. Either you should forge or you should embezzle. For my own part, I embezzle."
- "You let Dunsey have it, sir? And how long have you been so thick with Dunsey that you must collogue with him to embezzle my money?"
- "A major accident and embezzlement of its funds seem to have been the only disasters it escaped; and as to the latter, the most probable reason is that it never had any quantity of funds worth embezzling."
Etymology
From Middle English embesilen, from Anglo-Norman embesiler, embesillier, embeseillier (“to steal, cause to disappear”), from em- + Old French besillier (“to torment, destroy, gouge”), of unknown origin.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: embesilen, embesiler, besillier
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɪmˈbɛz.əl/
- British English: /ɪmˈbɛz.əl/