larceny

Definition of Larceny

(noun) The unlawful act of taking something from someone without consent; theft.

Example of Larceny

• Mugging an individual on the street.
  

Larceny Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: lar·ce·ny

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈlɑrsəni/
• British English – /ˈlɑːsəni/

Usage Notes

• Plural: larcenies
• A type of crime.
• Also called:
  • stealing
  • theft
  • thievery
  • thieving
• A (noun) larcener or (noun) larcenist (noun) larcenously commits a (noun) larcenous act.

Related Video

Additional Information

• Crime and Law Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
• Word origin of “larceny” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com

Related Terms

• crime
• criminal justice system
• criminology
• illegal
• law
• nonviolent crime
• penology
• police
• sanction

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Works Consulted

Briggs, Steven M., and Joan Friedman. 2009. Criminology For Dummies. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).

Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).

Siegel, Larry J., and Clemens Bartollas. 2011. Corrections Today. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2012. Introduction to Criminal Justice. 13th ed. Belmont: CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Siegel, Larry J., and John L. Worrall. 2013. Essentials of Criminal Justice. 8th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).

Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Wikimedia Foundation. (http://en.wiktionary.org).

Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).

Cite the Definition of Larceny

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “larceny.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 23, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/larceny/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

larceny. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/larceny/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “larceny.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 23, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/larceny/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“larceny.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/larceny/>.