different between defalcate vs swindle

English

Etymology

1530s, in sense “to lop off”, from Medieval Latin d?falc?tus, perfect passive participle of d?falc? (“cut or lop off”), from Latin d? (“off”) + falx (“sickle, scythe, pruning hook”), from which also English falcate (“sickle-shaped”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): [?d?f??ke?t]

Verb

defalcate (third-person singular simple present defalcates, present participle defalcating, simple past and past participle defalcated)

1. (transitive) To misappropriate funds; to embezzle.
2. (transitive) To cut off; to take away or deduct a part of (money, rents, income, etc.).
   • 1769, Edmund Burke, Observations on a Late State of the Nation

     To show what may be practicably and safely defalcated from the [the estimates].

Derived terms

• defalcation

Related terms

• falcate

Translations

See also

• lop

References

Italian

Verb

defalcate

1. second-person plural present indicative of defalcare
2. second-person plural imperative of defalcare

English

Etymology

Back-formation from swindler, from German Schwindler, from German schwindeln, from Middle High German swindeln, swindelen, from Old High German swintiln, frequentative of the verb swintan; compare Modern German schwindeln, Danish svindel and svindle, Dutch zwindelen and zwendelen, Yiddish ???????? (shvindl), Low German swinneln, Middle English swinden (“to languish, waste away”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sw?nd(?)l/
• Rhymes: -?nd?l

Verb

swindle (third-person singular simple present swindles, present participle swindling, simple past and past participle swindled)

1. (transitive) To defraud.

   The two men swindled the company out of $160,000.

2. (transitive, intransitive) To obtain (money or property) by fraudulent or deceitful methods.

   She swindled more than £200 out of me.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:deceive
• (to be swindled): be sold a pup (idiomatic, British, Australian)
• (to defraud): swizz (informal, mainly British)

Translations

Noun

swindle (plural swindles)

1. An instance of swindling.
2. Anything that is deceptively not what it appears to be.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:deception
• scheme
• swizz (informal, mainly British)

Translations

Anagrams

• Windles, wildens, windles