Etymologically
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feinte

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 22:02. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /fɛ̃t/[1]

Forms

feinte f (plural feintes)[1]

Etymology

It is the feminine past participle of feindre used as a noun,[2][3][4][5][6] from Latin fingere (“to shape; to invent; to pretend”).[5][7] Compare Old Spanish and Italian finta and Old Occitan fenha.[8]

Earliest recorded meaning

Gautier de Coinci (about 1223) has fables et faintes, a poetic invention, a sense used until the 17th century.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Before 1544 (Marot) it was the act of giving an appearance contrary to the truth (parler sans feinte), and Marguerite de Navarre used it for a manoeuvre to mislead someone.[2][9][8] The sense “deceptive move” became a fencing term in 1680 (Richelet), then a term of military tactics and other sports (a boxer's or footballer's feint), and in the early 20th century a general word for “trick”.[2][3][10] From it came feinter (1859 in sport, “to trick”, 1931) and feinteur (1924).[3] English feint was taken from French in the 1670s, and as a fencing term in the 1680s.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 1223 – “Fiction”, in Gautier de Coinci.[2]
  • Before 1544 – “Pretence”, in Marot.[2]
  • 1670s – English feint.[7]
  • 1680 – In fencing, in Richelet.[2]
  • 1859 – Feinter in sport.[3]
  • Early 20th century – “Trick”.[3]
  • 1931 – Feinter “to trick”.[3]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (literary) Pretence, dissimulation: parler sans feinte.[11][10]
  2. (sport, military) A feint, dummy.[10][1]
  3. (familiar) A trick, ruse: faire une feinte à qqn.[11][10]
  4. (textiles) A flaw where the weft is missing.[11]

Word family

  • feinter
  • feinteur
  • feindre
  • feint
  • fiction

Usage notes

Feinte is also the twaite shad (alose feinte), so called because it resembles the shad.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  4. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 3, 553b
  7. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  8. ^ a b c Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  9. ^ Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  10. ^ a b c d Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  11. ^ a b c Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)