Feigning

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Feign \Feign\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Feigned}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Feigning}.] [OE. feinen, F. feindre (p. pr. feignant), fr.
     L. fingere; akin to L. figura figure,and E. dough. See
     {Dough}, and cf. {Figure}, {Faint}, {Effigy}, {Fiction}.]
     1. To give a mental existence to, as to something not real or
        actual; to imagine; to invent; hence, to pretend; to form


        and relate as if true.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              There are no such things done as thou sayest, but
              thou feignest them out of thine own heart. --Neh.
                                                    vi. 8.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The poet
              Did feign that Orpheus drew trees, stones, and
              floods.                               --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To represent by a false appearance of; to pretend; to
        counterfeit; as, to feign a sickness. --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To dissemble; to conceal. [Obs.] --Spenser.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Feigning \Feign"ing\, a.
     That feigns; insincere; not genuine; false. --
     {Feign"ing*ly}, adv.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  feigning
       n 1: pretending with intention to deceive [syn: {pretense}, {pretence},
             {dissembling}]
       2: the act of giving a false appearance; "his conformity was
          only pretending" [syn: {pretense}, {pretence}, {pretending},
           {simulation}]