Where does “peculate” come from?
peculate (English) comes from Latin pecūlātus, from Latin pecūlor, from Latin pecūlium, from Latin pecus, from Proto-Italic *pekos.
peculate (English): To embezzle
Definitions
- To embezzle
Ancestry of “peculate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | pecūlātus | embezzlement of public money or property, peculation |
| 2 | Latin | pecūlor | to defraud the public; to embezzle public funds |
| 3 | Latin | pecūlium | private property (originally in the form of cattle, but later in the form of savings) |
| 4 | Latin | pecus | A group of large domestic animals: a herd of... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | *pekos | — |