Etymologically
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embezzle

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ɪmˈbɛz.əl/; /ɛmˈbɛz.əl/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English embesilen,[2][3][4][5] borrowed from Anglo-Norman enbesiler (“to steal, make disappear”),[2][3][4][5][6] from en- and besiler,[2][3][5] Old French besillier “to destroy, ravage, gouge”,[2][3][4] which is of unknown origin.[4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To make away with provisions or money; to carry off secretly what belongs to another (1397; about 1425 in Barnhart).[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

In the 16th century the verb also meant to weaken or diminish something (1566),[7] and to squander property through waste (1578).[7] The modern sense, to divert money to one's own use in breach of trust or official duty, dates from about 1600[7][4] and is the only one still current.[7] Embezzlement is recorded from 1548.[3]

Timeline

  • 1397 – to make away with, carry off secretly.[7]
  • 1548 – embezzlement.[3]
  • 1566 – to weaken, impair (obsolete).[7]
  • 1578 – to squander.[7]
  • 1600 – to misappropriate entrusted money.[7]
  • 1667 – embezzler.[3]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To take money or property entrusted to one's care for one's own use, in breach of trust.

Word family

  • embezzlement
  • embezzler
  • peculate
  • defalcate
  • misappropriate

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press