Legal Dictionary

larceny

Legal Definition of larceny

Noun

An old English criminal and common law offence covering the unlawful or fraudulent removal of another's property without the owner's consent. The offence of theft now covers most cases of larceny. But larceny is wider than theft as it includes the taking of property of another person by whatever means (by theft, overtly , by fraud, by trickery, etc.) if an intent exists to convert that property to one's own use against the wishes of the owner.

Related terms

Definition of larceny

Etymology

larcin

latrocinium

latro

λάτρον

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA: /ˈlɑː.sən.i/, /ˈlɑː.sɪ.ni/
(US) IPA: /ˈlɑɹ.sə.ni/

Noun

larceny (countable and uncountable; plural larcenies)

(law) The unlawful taking of personal property as an attempt to deprive the legal owner of it permanently.
(law) A larcenous act attributable to an individual.

That young man already has four assaults, a DUI, and a larceny on his record.

Further reading

Larceny is a crime involving the wrongful acquisition of the personal property of another person. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of England into their own law. It has been abolished in England and Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It remains an offence in the United States and New South Wales, Australia, involving the taking (caption) and carrying away (asportation) of personal property.

Republic of Ireland

The common law offence of larceny was abolished on 1 August 2002. However, proceedings for larceny committed before its abolition are not affected by this.

United Kingdom

- England and Wales

The common law offence of larceny was codified by the Larceny Act 1916. It was abolished on 1 January 1969, for all purposes not relating to offences committed before that date. It has been replaced by the broader offence of theft under section 1(1) of the Theft Act 1968. This offence did incorporate some of the terminology and substance of larceny.

- Northern Ireland

The common law offence of larceny was abolished on 1 August 1969, for all purposes not relating to offences committed before that date. It has been replaced by the broader offence of theft under section 1(1) of the Theft Act (Northern Ireland) 1969.

United States

In the United States, larceny is a common law crime involving theft. Under the common law, larceny is the trespassory taking (caption) and carrying away (asportation, removal) of the tangible personal property of another with the intent to deprive him or her of its possession permanently. In almost all states, it has become a statutory crime through codification.

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