counterfeit
/ˈkaʊn.tɚˌfɪt/
counterfeit means false, especially of money; intended to deceive or carry appearance of being genuine.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, counterfeit ranks #2,308 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #2,538 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,574 of 14,448 for Funniest Words, #3,759 of 14,322 for Scariest Words.
counterfeit is pronounced /ˈkaʊn.tɚˌfɪt/.
Why “counterfeit” is a great word
Made in imitation of something genuine with the intent to deceive, especially currency or goods. From Middle English counterfeit, from Anglo-Norman countrefait, from Old French contrefait, from Latin contra- ("against") + facere ("to make"), first recorded in English between 1250 and 1300. Unlike imitation, a neutral term for any copy, or forgery, a crime bound to documents and art, counterfeit casts a wider net of deceit. It is the gold coin that rings hollow when struck against stone, the designer handbag with its telltale crooked stitching, and the faint chemical scent rising from a perfume that promises but does not contain—the quiet betrayal of a surface that promises depth, the uncanny nearness of truth just out of register.
Etymology
From Middle English counterfeit, countrefet, from Anglo-Norman countrefait, from Old French contrefait, from Latin contra- (“against”) + Latin facere (“to make”). Piecewise doublet of contrafactum.
adj
- False, especially of money; intended to deceive or carry appearance of being genuine.“This counterfeit watch looks like the real thing, but it broke a week after I bought it.”
- Inauthentic.“counterfeit sympathy”
- Assuming the appearance of something; deceitful; hypocritical.“an arrant counterfeit rascal”
noun
- A non-genuine article; a fake.“Never call a true piece of gold a counterfeit.”
- One who counterfeits; a counterfeiter.
- That which resembles another thing; a likeness; a portrait; a counterpart.“Thou drawest a counterfeit / Best in all Athens.”
- An impostor; a cheat.“I fear thou art another counterfeit; / And yet, in faith, thou bear'st thee like a king.”
verb
- To falsely produce what appears to be official or valid; to produce a forged copy of.“to counterfeit the signature of another, coins, notes, etc.”
- To produce a faithful copy of.“The title page of White's original album includes a descriptive title page that identifies the contents as “the pictures of sondry things collected and counterfeited according to the truth,"”
- To feign; to mimic.“to counterfeit the voice of another person”
- Of a turn or river card, to invalidate a player's hand by making a better hand on the board.
Words closest in meaning
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