A person who secretly steals money or property that they were trusted to manage or guard.
From Middle English 'embezzlen,' possibly from Old French 'embazoiller' (to make ugly or ruin). The legal sense developed by the 14th century to describe misappropriation by trusted officials.
Modern embezzlement detection often relies on inconsistencies in accounting that humans would overlook—artificial intelligence now catches embezzlers by finding patterns, like someone's lifestyle far exceeding their salary.
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