Legal Definition and Related Resources of Larceny

At common law , the offense consisted in the taking and carrying away of another’s personal property without his consent and with the intent of depriving the owner of his property and of converting same to a use other than that of the owner. See Berman v International Brotherhood of Teamsters, etc., (D. C. Pa.) 23 7 F. Supp. 767. Most jurisdictions have now specific statutory definitions of the term.

In criminal law. The wrongful and fraudulent taking and carrying away by one person of the mere personal goods of another from any place, with a felonious intent to convert them to his, the taker’s, use, and make them his property without the consent of the owner. 2 East, P. C. 553; 4 Wash. C. C. (U. S.) 700. In a recent English case, Mr. Baron Parke said that this definition, which was the most complete of any, was defective, in not stating what ‘is the meaning of the word “felonious,” which, he said, “may be explained to mean that there is no color of right or excuse for the act; and the ‘intent’ must be to deprive the owner, not temporarily, but permanently, of his property.” 2 Car. & K. 942; 1 Den. C. C. 370; Tempi. & M. C. C. 40. It is safer to be guided by the cases than by the definitions given by text writers. Larceny is of two kinds, namely, simple larceny, and compound larceny.
(1) Simple larceny at common law is the taking and carrying away of the mere personal goods of another of any value, from any place, with a felonious intent to steal the same. This definition includes the following elements: (a) The subject of the offense must be the mere personal goods of another, though, at common law, other things are made the subject of larceny by statute. Therefore (i) It must be personal, as distinguished from real property. (ii) It must be something which the law recognizes as property, and the subject of ownership. (iii) It must be of some value; but the least value to the owner is sufficient (iv) It must be the property of another; but a special property in another is sufBcient, even as against the general owner; and mere possession Is enough as against others than the owner. (b) The goods must be taken, and the taking must be under such circuipstances as to amount technically to a trespass. (c) There must be some asportation or carrying away of the goods. (d) Both the taking and the carrying away must be with a felonious intent, an intent to steal, existing at the time. Grand and petit larceny. By statute in some jurisdictions, larceny has been divided, according to the value of the property or other circumstances, into grand larceny and petit larceny.
(2) Compound larcenies are larcenies committed under certain aggravating circumstances. Thus : (a) At common law, robbery, which is larceny from the person or in the presence of another by violence, or by putting him in fear, is a compound larceny. (b) By statute in most jurisdictions, it is a compound larceny, punished more severely than simple larceny, to steal (1) from the person of another, or (2) from a dwelling house, or certain other places specified in the statute. 2 Clark & Marshall, Crimes, 649.

noun

• abstraction
• appropriation
• brigandage
• embezzlement
• felonious stealing
• fraudulent taking
• furtum
• misappropriation
• peculation
• pickpocketing
• pilferage
• rapacity
• rapine
• swindle
• swindling
• theft
• thievery
• unlawful acquisition
• unlawful conversion
• unlawful taking
• wrongful taking Associated Concepts: compound larceny
• conversion
• embezzlement
• fraud
• grand larceny
• larceny by device
• larcenybyfalsepretenseslarceny by fraud
• larceny by trick
• petit larceny
• receiving stolen goods
• simple larceny

Browse or run a search for Larceny in the American Encyclopedia of Law, the Asian Encyclopedia of Law, the European Encyclopedia of Law, the UK Encyclopedia of Law or the Latin American and Spanish Encyclopedia of Law.

Larceny in Historical Law

You might be interested in the historical meaning of this term. Browse or search for Larceny in Historical Law in the Encyclopedia of Law.

Search for legal acronyms and/or abbreviations containing Larceny in the Legal Abbreviations and Acronyms Dictionary.

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Mentioned in these terms

Asportation, Corpus Delicti, Embezzlement, Grand Larceny, Joy-riding, Sacrilege, Shoplifting, Simple Larceny, Stale, Thief.

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This definition of Larceny is based on the The Cyclopedic Law Dictionary . This entry needs to be proofread.

Vocabularies (Semantic Web Information)

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Larceny in the United States

Larceny in Connecticut

A person commits larceny when, with intent to deprive another of property or to appropriate the same to himself or a third person, he wrongfully takes, obtains or withholds such property from an owner (more in the United States). Larceny includes, but is not limited to: . . . . (4) Acquiring property lost, mislaid or delivered by mistake. A person who comes into control of property of another that he knows to have been lost, mislaid, or delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the identity of the recipient is guilty of larceny if, with purpose to deprive the owner (more in the United States) thereof, he fails to take reasonable measures to restore the property to a person entitled to it.” Connecticut (provision) GEN.

English Spanish Translation of Larceny

Hurto

Find other English to Spanish translations from the Pocket Spanish English Legal Dictionary (print and online), the English to Spanish to English dictionaries (like Larceny) and the Word reference legal translator.

Larceny in Law Enforcement

Main Entry: Law Enforcement in the Legal Dictionary. This section provides, in the context of Law Enforcement, a partial definition of larceny.

Resources

See Also

• Law Enforcement Officer
• Police Work
• Law Enforcement Agency

Further Reading

• larceny in A Dictionary of Law Enforcement (Oxford University Press)
• larceny in the Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement
• A Treatise on the Police of the Metropolis

Meaning of Larceny in the U.S. Legal System

Definition of Larceny published by the National Association for Court Management: Obtaining property by fraud or deceit.