Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Feint

Feint

,
Adj.
[F.
feint
, p. p. of
feindre
to feign. See
Feign
.]
Feigned; counterfeit.
[Obs.]
Dressed up into any
feint
appearance of it.
Locke.

Feint

,
Noun.
[F.
feinte
, fr.
feint
. See
Feint
,
Adj.
]
1.
That which is feigned; an assumed or false appearance; a pretense; a stratagem; a fetch.
Courtley’s letter is but a
feint
to get off.
Spectator.
2.
A mock blow or attack on one part when another part is intended to be struck; – said of certain movements in fencing, boxing, war, etc.

Feint

,
Verb.
I.
To make a feint, or mock attack.

Webster 1828 Edition


Feint

FEINT

,
Noun.
1.
An assumed or false appearance; a pretense of doing something not intended to be done.
Courtley's letter is but a feint to get off.
2.
A mock attack; an appearance of aiming at one part when another is intended to be struck. In fencing, a show of making a thrust at one part, to deceive an antagonist, when the intention is to strike another part.

FEINT

,
Adj.
or pp. Counterfeit; seeming. [Not used.]

Definition 2024


feint

feint

English

Verb

feint (third-person singular simple present feints, present participle feinting, simple past and past participle feinted)

  1. To make a feint, or mock attack.

Translations

Adjective

feint (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Feigned; counterfeit.
    • John Locke
      Dressed up into any feint appearance of it.
  2. (fencing, boxing, war) (of an attack) directed toward a different part from the intended strike

Noun

feint (plural feints)

  1. A movement made to confuse the opponent, a dummy
  2. That which is feigned; an assumed or false appearance; a pretense; a stratagem
    • Spectator
      Courtley's letter is but a feint to get off.
  3. (fencing, boxing, war) An offensive movement resembling an attack in all but its continuance
  4. The narrowest rule used in the production of lined writing paper (C19: Variant of FAINT)

Translations


French

Etymology

Past participle of feindre; from Latin fictus, probably through a Vulgar Latin root *finctus. Compare Italian finto.

Verb

feint m (feminine singular feinte, masculine plural feints, feminine plural feintes)

  1. past participle of feindre
  2. third-person singular present indicative of feindre

Anagrams