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dissemble

Etymology and origin of the English word dissemble

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /dɪˈsɛmbəl/[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English dissemblen,[2][3] an alteration of earlier dissimulen,[4][5][6] from Middle French dissimuler,[4][5] from Latin dissimulo (“to disguise, conceal”),[4][3][5][6] from dis- “completely” and simulāre “to pretend, imitate”.[4][3] The form was altered under the influence of Old French dessembler “to be unlike”[2][4][3] and of resemble.[3][6] It is related to simulate and dissimulate.[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

To assume a false appearance; to conceal one's real motives or feelings (before 1420 in Barnhart; early 15th century in Etymonline).[4][3]

Semantic evolution

The transitive sense, to disguise the true nature of something, is recorded from 1513,[7] and to feign or simulate from 1538.[7] It also meant to pretend not to notice (about 1500),[7] a sense Random House marks as obsolete.[6] Etymonline quotes the Century Dictionary's distinction: to dissemble is to pretend that something that is, is not, while to simulate is to pretend that something that is not, is.[3]

Timeline

  • 1380 – dissimule, to disguise.[4]
  • before 1420 – dissemble.[4]
  • about 1500 – to pretend not to notice.[7]
  • 1513 – to disguise one's character or feelings.[7]
  • 1538 – to feign.[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To disguise or conceal something behind a false appearance.
  2. To make a false show of; to feign or simulate.
  3. To hide one's real nature, motives or feelings; to act hypocritically.
  4. (obsolete) To pretend not to notice; to ignore.

Word family

  • dissemblance
  • dissembler
  • dissemblingly
  • undissembled
  • undissembling
  • dissimulate
  • simulate
  • resemble
  • similar

Usage notes

Random House lists mask, hide, camouflage and dissimulate as synonyms.[6] Wiktionary warns against confusing the word with disassemble “to take apart”.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Dissemble.” Etymologically, 11 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/dissemble. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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