peculate

UK: /ˈpɛkjʊˌleɪt/ US: (pek′yə lāt′)

Inflections of 'peculate' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

peculates

v 3rd person singular

peculating

v pres p

peculated

v past

peculated

v past p

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pec•u•late  (pek′yə lāt′), v.t., v.i., -lat•ed, -lat•ing. 

1. to steal or take dishonestly (money, esp. public funds, or property entrusted to one's care);
   embezzle.

• Latin pecūlātus, equivalent. to pecūlā(rī) to embezzle, literally, to make public property private + -tus suffix of verb, verbal action. See peculiar, -ate¹
• verb, verbal use of peculate embezzlement (now obsolete) 1740–50

pec′u•la′tion, n. 
pec′u•la′tor, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

peculate / ˈpɛkjʊˌleɪt/ verb

1. to appropriate or embezzle (public money)

Etymology: 18th Century: from Latin pecūlārī, from pecūlium private property (originally, cattle); see peculiar

ˌpecuˈlation noun

ˈpecuˌlator noun