19. dissemble
Published in
Mar 17, 2022
can I dissemble if I don’t know how I feel or what I want?
~Livy, 17 March 2022
definition
dissemble [/dəˈsembəl/]
verb. to hide your true self
extended definition
to disguise or conceal one’s true emotions, feelings, motives, or beliefs
etymology
Latin: dis- “opposite of” + simulare “to make similar, copy, imitate” = dissimulare “to make not similar, hide, disguise” → Old French dessembler → early 15c. dissemblen “to assume a false pretense; conceal the truth about oneself”
references
- definitions from Oxford Languages via Google’s English Dictionary
- etymology (word origin information) from Online Etymology Dictionary (“etymonline”)
- my favorite Latin dictionary: William Whitaker’s Words
