hypocrisy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /hɪˈpɒkɹəsi/ (UK); /hɪˈpɑkɹəsi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English ipocrisie, borrowed from Old French ypocrisie,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Late Latin hypocrisis (“play-acting, pretence”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek ὑπόκρισις (hupókrisis, “acting on the stage; pretence”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from hupokrínesthai “to answer; to play a part”,^[2][3][4][5] from hupo- “under” and krínein “to sift, decide”.^[2][3][4][6] The h- was restored in English in the 16th century.^[3][4][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The assuming of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, especially in religion (before 1225 in the OED; c. 1200 in Barnhart and Etymonline).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The Greek sense developed from “to answer” to “to answer a fellow actor on stage” and so “to play a part”.^[4] From the stage the word passed to the pretence of feelings or virtues one does not have.^[4][5] In English it was at first used of the sin of pretending to religious virtue,^[4][3] and later more generally of any pretence of a desirable or approved attitude.^[6][1]

Timeline

• c. 1200 – ypocresie, false appearance of virtue.^[3][4]
• c. 1200 – ypocrite.^[3]
• 16th century – the spelling with h-.^[3][4]
• 1561 – hypocritical.^[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings or virtues that one does not hold or have; falseness or pretence, especially of virtue or religion.
2. An act or instance of such falseness.

Related words

• hypocrite
• hypocritical
• critic
• crisis
• deceit

References

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