mulct C2 Topic:Law & Government US /mʌlkt/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun A fine or penalty, especially a pecuniary one. Juries cast up what a wife is worth, / By laying whate'er sum in mulct they please on / The lover, who must pay a handsome price, / Because it is a marketable vice. 2 verb To swindle (someone) out of money. Mr. Train's most celebrated real life case was said to have been the prosecution in 1914 of Henry Siegel, operator of a chain of dry-goods stores, who was accused of mulcting thousands in a savings account scheme. Thesaurus Word family Derived forms mulctableunmulcted Etymology From Middle French mulcter (“to fine, punish”), from Latin mulcta (“penalty, fine”). Possibly a doublet of milk. Topics Law & Government External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # mulct **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun, verb **IPA (US):** /mʌlkt/ ## Meanings 1. A fine or penalty, especially a pecuniary one. 2. To swindle (someone) out of money. ## Examples - Juries cast up what a wife is worth, / By laying whate'er sum in mulct they please on / The lover, who must pay a handsome price, / Because it is a marketable vice. - Mr. Train's most celebrated real life case was said to have been the prosecution in 1914 of Henry Siegel, operator of a chain of dry-goods stores, who was accused of mulcting thousands in a savings account scheme. ## Derived Forms - mulctable - unmulcted ## Etymology From Middle French mulcter (“to fine, punish”), from Latin mulcta (“penalty, fine”). Possibly a doublet of milk. ## Topics - Law & Government markdown