perfidy means A state or act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust. It carries an Arena rating of 1925, earned across 51 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, perfidy ranks #460 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #699 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #811 of 17,131 for Scariest Words, #1,313 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words.
perfidy is pronounced /ˈpɜː.fɪ.di/.
Why “perfidy” is a great word
Deliberate and profound faithlessness, a calculated violation of solemn trust where loyalty was most due. From Middle French perfidie, from Latin perfidia ("faithlessness, treachery"), from perfidus ("faithless, treacherous"), from per- ("to ill effect") + fides ("faith, trust"), first attested in English in the late 16th century. Unlike "treachery," a broader betrayal often political, or "infidelity," a breach of romantic fidelity, perfidy is the specific poison administered by a sworn hand. It is the pact signed in blood and broken without a blink, the treaty signed in one chamber and betrayed in another, the friend who memorized your secrets only to weaponize them—the cold, quiet triumph of a promise hollowed out and used as a lure, leaving only the hollow echo of what was once sworn inviolate.
Etymology
From Middle French perfidie, from Latin perfidia from perfidus (“faithless, treacherous, false”), from fides (“faith”); related to, for example, English fidelity.
noun
- A state or act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust.
- An illegitimate act of deception, such as using symbols like the Red Cross or white flag in a false claim of surrender to gain proximity to an enemy for purposes of attack.e.g.“Stratagems must be carefully distinguished strategy from perfidy, since the former are allowed, whereas the latter is prohibited.” — 1921, Lassa Oppenheim with Ronald Francis Roxburgh, International law: a treatise, page 229:
- A state or act of deceit.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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