Today, feign is all about faking it, but it hasn’t always been so. One of the word’s oldest meanings is “to fashion, form, or shape,” which echoes that of its Latin source, the verb fingere, meaning “to mold, fashion, make a likeness of, or pretend to be.”

"disguise or conceal (deceit, falsehood, one's real meaning); dissemble, make false… See origin and meaning of feign.

The word "feign" ultimately derives from the Latin word "fingere," meaning "to form, shape, or invent." It passed into Old French as "feindre" and entered Middle English by the 14th century. Meaning and Origin: In modern English, "feign" means: The original Latin meaning of "fingere" was "to shape or mold" with the hands.

The earliest known use of the verb feign is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for feign is from around 1290, in South English Legendary.

In its original sense, 'feign' was used to describe the act of shaping or molding something, but it eventually took on a figurative meaning related to pretending or making a false show of something.

FEIGN definition: 1. to pretend to have a particular feeling, problem, etc. : 2. to pretend to have a particular…. Learn more.

Feign, feint, and faint, actually all have the same root despite evolving along different tracks. Feign refers to giving a false appearance, feint usually involves a physical fake-out, and faint can mean barely perceptible or to lose consciousness. Read on for more.

Jan 15, 2025 · From Middle English feynen, feinen, [1] 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.

To make a false show of; pretend; imitate; simulate. From Middle English, from Old French feindre (“to pretend”), from Latin fingere (“to form, shape, invent”). Cassie drew her brows down to feign a stern expression. The kids always feign sleep when I go in to check on them. If they served something she couldn't eat, she'd feign illness.

The word "feign" originates from the Latin word "fingere," which means to shape, form, or invent, derived from "fictus," meaning made-up or pretended. The term evolved into Old French as "feignir" and into Middle English as "feignen," reflecting its …