18 October 2016

defalcation

[dee-fal-key-shuh n, -fawl-]

noun, Law.

1. misappropriation of money or funds held by an official, trustee, or other fiduciary.
2. the sum misappropriated.

Origin of defalcation

Middle French, Medieval Latin
1425-1475; late Middle English: deduction from wages (< Middle French) < Medieval Latin dēfalcātiōn- (stem of dēfalcātiō) a taking away, equivalent to dēfalcāt (us) (see defalcate ) + -iōn- -ion

Related forms

nondefalcation, noun

Dictionary.com

Examples from the Web for defalcation

Historical Examples

“My uncle was not down here this morning,” Maude would say:—and then she would go on to excuse the defalcation.
Kept in the Dark
Anthony Trollope

Evidently there had been a defalcation on rather a large scale.
Miss Mehetabel’s Son
Thomas Bailey Aldrich

You don’t mean that this is the blackguard who wrote that account of the defalcation in the Events?
The Quality of Mercy
W. D. Howells

But nothing yet concerning the defalcation and disappearance of Angelo Puma.
The Crimson Tide
Robert W. Chambers

The only distinct cause assigned by M. de St Priest, for his defalcation in the lists, is the Arragonese version.
Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 63, No. 391, May, 1848
Various

The rumour of Elijah’s defalcation had not disturbed Seymour seriously.
The Vision of Elijah Berl
Frank Lewis Nason

Anagram

toned facial
coaled faint
fetid canola
if anecdotal

Today’s quote

I think a good friend, to me, is all about trust and loyalty. You don’t ever want to second-guess whether you can tell your friend something.

– Lauren Conrad

On this day

18 October – Anti-slavery day, created by an act of the U.K. Parliament in 2010. It defines modern day slavery as child trafficking, forced labour, domestic servitude and trafficking for sexual exploitation. It provides an opportunity to draw attention to the subject and to pressure government, local authorities, public institutions and private and public companies to address the scale and scope of human trafficking.

18 October 1776 – the ‘cocktail’ is invented when a customer requests a drink decorated with a bird-tail, in a New York bar.

18 October 1867 – Formal transfer of Alaska from Russia to the United States. Every year, 18 October is celebrated as Alaska Day.

18 October 1926 – birth of Chuck Berry, legendary American musician and pioneer of rock and roll and famous for songs such as ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’.

18 October 1931 – death of Thomas Edison, U.S. inventor. Born 11 February 1847.