1. The unlawful taking and removing of another's personal property with the intent of permanently depriving the owner of its possession: Larceny is the felonious taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another person with the intent to convert them to the robber's use.
2. Obtaining possession of property by fraud, a trick, or some device with a preconceived design or intent to appropriate, to convert, or to steal the tangible objects of another person: Modern statutes in many jurisdictions have included the sense of larceny to include common-law embezzlements.
3. Etymology: in French law, the term was larcyn, from the Latin term for law of latrocinium; from latro, "robber".

Robbery or a crime that is punishable by serving time in a state prison of the U.S. because it is considered to be a serious crime as opposed to a "misdemeanor" that is considered to be a minor crime: After being convicted by the court of felony larceny, the real estate agent was sentenced to five years in prison.

In some states of the United States, the theft of property that is valued above a specified amount, varying from state to state but usually being between $25 and $60: Grand larceny is a felonious crime of property having a value greater than an amount fixed by law in different states.

Another form of grand larceny may involve aggravating circumstances: such as, the use of physical threats or violence, if the victim doesn't comply with the robber's demands.

A crime that is punishable by imprisonment in a local jail and a fine: Misdemeanor larcenies in most states of the U.S. are less serious than felony larcenies and so when people are convicted by a court, they serve their time in a city jail for a shorter time instead of in a state prison for a longer period.

A term used in many states of the U.S. for pilferage, depending on the value of the goods stolen; in other words, a small amount of money or objects of little value: Petty larceny is a misdemeanor punishable with a specified time in a county jail instead of a state prison.

Petit larceny is an older spelling of this form of larceny and petty larceny has an advantage because its pronunciation is more obvious; however, the disadvantage is that this spelling suggests a "triviality" or of little importance.