The plural of burglary; crimes in which someone illegally enters a building with the intent to steal or commit another crime.
From Old French 'burglarie,' derived from Medieval Latin 'burglator' meaning 'burgher who commits theft.' The word specifically distinguishes theft by breaking-in from simple theft, emphasizing the violation of a secure space.
In legal terms, a burglary doesn't require actually stealing anything—it's the breaking-in itself that makes it a burglary, which is why someone can be arrested for burglary even if they're caught before touching anything.
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