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larceny

American  
[lahr-suh-nee] / ˈlɑr sə ni /

noun

Law.

plural

larcenies

  1. the wrongful taking of someone's property or goods, removing them from their owner's posession with intent to convert them to the taker's own use.

larceny British  
/ ˈlɑːsɪnɪ /

noun

  1. law (formerly) a technical word for theft

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
larceny Cultural  

  1. Theft; taking another person's property with the intent of permanently depriving the owner.

Other Word Forms

  • larcenist noun
  • larcenous adjective
  • larcenously adverb

Etymology

Origin of larceny

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English larceni, from Anglo-French larcin “theft,” from Latin latrōcinium “robbery” (equivalent to latrōcin(ārī) “to rob,” originally “serve as mercenary soldier” (derivative of latrō “hired soldier, robber”) + -ium -ium ) + -y 3

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.