Home › Words › P › peculatepeculatepeculate · verb — to embezzle.Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).EtymologyFrom Latin pecūlātus, past participle of pecūlor (“defraud, embezzle”).verbTo embezzle.Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.peculation 76% match — The wrongful appropriation or embezzlement of shared or public property, usually by a person entrusted with the guardianship of that property. vs peculate →peculator 76% match — A person who peculates; an embezzler. vs peculate →defalcate 68% match — To misappropriate funds; to embezzle. vs peculate →depeculation 65% match — robbery or embezzlement. vs peculate →purloin 64% match — To take the property of another, often in breach of trust; to appropriate wrongfully; to steal. vs peculate →embezzle 62% match — To steal or misappropriate money that one has been trusted with, especially to steal money from the organisation for which one works. vs peculate →filch 62% match — To illegally take possession of (something, especially items of low value); to pilfer, to steal. vs peculate →filchery 60% match — Theft. vs peculate →