feint

feint · noun, verb¹

1. Latin · derived fromfingere
2. Old French · derived fromfeindre
3. French · borrowed fromfeinte“dummy, feint”
4. English todayfeint

The noun is borrowed from French feinte (“dummy, feint”), from feindre (“to fake, feign”), from Old French feindre, faindre, from Latin fingere, the present active infinitive of fingō (“to alter the truth to deceive, dissemble, feign, pretend; to fashion, form, shape”). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * English feign, fiction, figment * Italian finta * Occitan fencha, fenha * Old Spanish finta (modern Spanish finta (“dummy, feint”))

feint · adjective²

1. French · borrowed fromfeint
2. English todayfeint

Borrowed from French feint, the past participle of feindre (“to fake, feign”): see etymology 1.

feint · adjective³

A variant of faint (“barely perceptible; not bright, loud, or sharp”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from mid 19th c. Of lines printed on paper as a handwriting guide: not bold; faint, light; also, of such paper: ruled with faint lines of this sort.