feign

About This Root

From Old French feindre (to pretend, hesitate), from Latin fingere (to shape, form, devise, pretend). Related to fiction and figure through the same Latin verb. Yields feign (to pretend), feigned (not genuine), feint (a deceptive move, especially in fencing), and unfeigned (sincere). The connection between "shaping" and "pretending" reveals how fabrication and fiction share roots.

Associated Words