The act or process of deceiving someone to take their money or property illegally.
From de- (away) + fraud (deception), with -ment suffix indicating an action or result. The word evolved from Latin fraudare meaning 'to cheat.' The -ment suffix became common in English to create nouns from verbs around the 13th century.
Defraudment is rarely used in modern English—lawyers and courts prefer the simpler word 'fraud' instead. This shows how language naturally selects shorter, cleaner words over time, even when longer alternatives exist.
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