Plural form; instances of dishonestly taking money or property that belongs to an employer or organization.
From embezzle (possibly from Old French embesillier, meaning to damage or squander) plus -ment (nominalizing suffix) plus -s (plural). First documented in English in the 15th century.
Embezzlement became a huge legal issue only after double-entry bookkeeping was invented—before that, when accounting was chaotic, people could steal from employers without leaving clear paper trails, so embezzlement as a specific crime didn't really exist.
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