Misappropriators

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals or entities that illegally or dishonestly take possession of funds or resources that belong to another
2. people who divert assets for personal use without authorization
3. parties engaged in the act of using someone else's property incorrectly or fraudulently

Etymology: "Misappropriators" is the plural of "misappropriator", a noun for one who misappropriates. Its base verb, "misappropriate", is formed from the prefix "mis-", meaning wrongly or badly, and "appropriate", which comes from the Latin "appropriare", to make one's own. The verb therefore literally means to make something one's own in the wrong way, which is why it covers taking funds or property that rightfully belongs to someone else. The ending "-or" is an agent suffix, borrowed from Latin and Old French, that turns a verb into a noun for the person or thing doing the action. Attaching it to "misappropriate" produces a word for the people who carry out such dishonest takings, whether they are individuals or organisations.