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dissimulatio

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word dissimulatio

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
81–43 BC, Cicero
Ultimate origin
Latin (dissimulō)
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin simulo
Latin insimulo
Latin dissimulo
English dissemble
Latin dissimulatio
Latin simulatio

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [dɪs.sɪ.mʊˈɫaː.ti.oː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [dis.si.muˈlat.t͡si.o][1]

Forms

dissimulātiō f (genitive dissimulātiōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin dissimulō (“to dissemble, conceal”) + -tiō.[2][3][1] The OLD derives dissimulō from dis- and simulō (“to imitate, pretend”), Wiktionary from dissimilis (“unlike”).[2][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

Köbler dates it from Cicero,[4] who in the Verrines speaks of wickedness and boldness not even hidden by dissimulation.[2]

Semantic evolution

It is the concealment of one's real purpose or feelings, often in Cicero, Quintilian and Tacitus, who has someone disguised in a slave's clothes for concealment.[2][5] Cicero also uses it for Socratic irony, the urbane pretence of saying one thing while meaning another.[2][5] In Tacitus it is pretended ignorance or deliberate disregard: “among the bad there was ready mutiny, among the honest connivance”.[2] In Medieval Latin it means carelessness or indifference, and hesitation or delay.[6] English dissimulation (late 14th century) comes from Old French and directly from Latin.[7]

Timeline

  • 81–43 BC – Cicero of concealment and of Socratic irony.[2][4]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it.[5][4]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus of pretended ignorance.[2][4]
  • late 14th century – English dissimulation is formed from it, partly through Old French.[7]

Meanings

Noun

  1. Concealment of one's real purpose or feelings, dissimulation, disguise.[2][5][1]
  2. Socratic irony.[2][5]
  3. Pretended ignorance, deliberate disregard, connivance.[2]
  4. (Medieval Latin) Carelessness, indifference; hesitation, delay.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Dissimulatio.” Etymologically, 19 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/dissimulatio. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·