peculate

3 definitions found

peculate - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Peculate \Pec"u*late\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Peculated; p. pr. &
     vb. n. Peculating.] [L. peculatus, p. p. of peculari to
     peculate, akin to peculium private property. See Peculiar.]
     To appropriate to one's own use the property of the public;
     to steal public moneys intrusted to one's care; to embezzle.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           An oppressive, . . . rapacious, and peculating
           despotism.                               --Burke.
     [1913 Webster]

peculate - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  peculate
      v 1: appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care)
           fraudulently to one's own use; "The accountant embezzled
           thousands of dollars while working for the wealthy family"
           [syn: embezzle, defalcate, peculate,
           misappropriate, malversate]

peculate - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  23 Moby Thesaurus words for "peculate":
     abuse, befoul, convert, debase, defalcate, defile, desecrate,
     divert, embezzle, foul, maladminister, misapply, misappropriate,
     misemploy, mishandle, mismanage, misuse, pervert, pilfer, pollute,
     profane, prostitute, violate