false English · revision 4103

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1000|origins=la fallere}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /fɔːls/, /fɒls/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|fals]], faus,^(MWU 2024) partly [[inh|ang|fals|t=counterfeit, not genuine; fraud]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(COED 2004) an early, rare borrowing [[bor|la|falsus]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) and reinforced in Middle English by [[m|fro|fals|t=false, fake; incorrect; treacherous]] (modern French faux).^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) Latin falsus “deceptive, feigned; mistaken” is the past participle of [[m|la|fallere|t=to deceive, disappoint]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) of uncertain origin;^(Etymonline) Barnhart compares Greek phêlos “deceitful” and Sanskrit hválati “he goes astray”.^(Barnhart 1988) The continental Germanic languages borrowed it in an altered form: German falsch, Dutch vals, Danish falsk.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) It is related to [[fail]], [[fault]] and [[default]].^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Old English fals, counterfeit, about 1000,^(Barnhart 1988) as in false ġewihta “false weights” and falspening “counterfeit penny”;^(Hoad 1986) late Old English, “intentionally untrue, lying”, and of religion, “not of the true faith”, in Etymonline.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From about 1200 it meant “deceitful, disloyal, treacherous; not genuine”,^(Etymonline) and by the early 14th century also “contrary to fact or reason, erroneous”;^(Etymonline) the OED has the latter, of opinions and doctrines, from about 1200.^(OED 1989) English alone among the Germanic languages made the active sense “deceitful”, secondary in Latin, predominant.^(Etymonline) ''To bear false witness'' is from the mid-13th century,^(Etymonline) ''false prophet'' from the late 13th century,^(Etymonline) ''false alarm'' from the 1570s,^(Etymonline) and ''false step'' (1700) translates French faux pas.^(Etymonline) The sporting ''false start'' is by 1850.^(Etymonline) A ''false dawn'', a light seen about an hour before sunrise in Eastern countries, translates an Arabic phrase, from the mid-19th century.^(Cresswell 2021) ''Falsehood'' is from about 1300.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1000 – counterfeit.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1200 – treacherous; untrue.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+ * mid-13th century – ''bear false witness''.^(Etymonline)

+ * c. 1300 – ''falsehood''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1570s – ''false alarm''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1850 – ''false start''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Contrary to fact or truth; [[untrue]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Deliberately untrue; [[lying]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Arising from mistaken ideas: ''false hopes''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Meant to deceive: ''a false bottom''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Not keeping faith; [[treacherous]].^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # Not genuine or real; artificial: ''false teeth''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+ # In music, of incorrect pitch.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ===Adverb===

+ # In a treacherous or faithless way: ''played her false''.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[falsely]]

+ * [[falseness]]

+ * [[false-hearted]]

+ * [[falsehood]]

+ * [[falsework]]

+ * [[falsie]]

+ * [[falsify]]

+ * [[falsity]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[fail]]

+ * [[fault]]

+ * [[default]]

+ * [[faux]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}