embezzlement
UK: ɪmˈbez.əl.mənt | US: ɪmˈbez.əl.mənt
n. the act of dishonestly appropriating or stealing money or property entrusted to one's care, typically by an employee or official.
embezzlement = em<in/into> + bezzle<to destroy> + ment<noun suffix>
- em<in/into>: From Old French en- (Latin in-), meaning "in" or "into."
- bezzle<to destroy>: From Old French besillier, meaning "to destroy or plunder." The root evolved to imply fraudulent misuse.
- ment<noun suffix>: From Latin -mentum, forming nouns denoting an action or result.
Etymology Origin:
The word traces back to 15th-century Anglo-French legal contexts, where embezzler described officials misappropriating funds. The morpheme bezzle originally meant "to destroy" but narrowed to financial fraud. The prefix em- intensifies the act as "taking into one's control dishonestly," while -ment formalizes it as a punishable offense.
The accountant was arrested for embezzlement after diverting company funds.
Embezzlement often goes undetected until audits reveal discrepancies.
She faced ten years in prison for embezzlement from the charity.
The CEO’s embezzlement scandal eroded public trust in the corporation.
Strict internal controls can prevent embezzlement by employees.