feign

Definition

To make a false show or pretence of; to counterfeit or simulate.

Etymology

From Middle English feynen, feinen, borrowed from Old French feindre (“to pretend”), from Latin fingere (“to form, shape, invent”). Compare French feignant (present participle of feindre, literally “feigning”). Also compare feint and fiction.

Example Sentences

• "The pupil feigned sickness on the day of his exam."
• "They feigned her signature on the cheque."
• "[T]he truest poetry is the most feigning, and lovers are given to poetry, and what they swear in poetry may be said as lovers they do feign."