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Webster 1913 Edition


Feign

Feign

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Feigned
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Feigning
.]
[OE.
feinen
, F.
feindre
(p. pr.
feignant
), fr. L.
fingere
; akin to L.
figura
figure,and E.
dough
. See
Dough
, and cf.
Figure
,
Faint
,
Effigy
,
Fiction
.]
1.
To give a mental existence to, as to something not real or actual; to imagine; to invent; hence, to pretend; to form and relate as if true.
There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou
feignest
them out of thine own heart.
Neh. vi. 8.
The poet
Did
feign
that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods.
Shakespeare
2.
To represent by a false appearance of; to pretend; to counterfeit;
as, to
feign
a sickness
.
Shak.
3.
To dissemble; to conceal.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

Webster 1828 Edition


Feign

FEIGN

,
Verb.
T.
fane. [L. fingo. The Latin forms fictum, fictus, whence figura, figure, also fucus.]
1.
To invent or imagine; to form an idea or conception of something not real.
There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart. Neh. 6.
2.
To make a show of; to pretend; to assume a false appearance; to counterfeit.
I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner. 2Sam. 14.
She feigns a laugh.
3.
To represent falsely; to pretend; to form and relate a fictitious tale.
The poet did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and floods.
4.
To dissemble; to conceal. Obs.

Definition 2024


feign

feign

English

Verb

feign (third-person singular simple present feigns, present participle feigning, simple past and past participle feigned)

  1. To make a false copy or version of; to counterfeit.
    The pupil feigned sickness on the day of his exam.
    They feigned her signature on the cheque.
  2. To imagine; to invent; to pretend.
    He feigned that he had gone home at the appointed time.
  3. To make an action as if doing one thing, but actually doing another, for example to trick an opponent.
    • 2013, Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland (in The Guardian, 14 August 2013)
      Cahill was beaten far too easily for Miller's goal, although the striker deserves the credit for the way he controlled Alan Hutton's right-wing delivery, with his back to goal, feigned to his left then went the other way and pinged a splendid left-foot shot into Hart's bottom right-hand corner.
  4. To hide or conceal.
    Jessica feigned the fact that she had not done her homework.

Synonyms

Translations