spuria

/ˈspjʊəɹɪə/

Etymology

From the Latin spuria, the nominative neuter plural form of spurius, whence spurious; compare trivia.

Why this word is great

SPURIA — [Noun] Writings or objects of doubtful authenticity, especially those falsely attributed to a particular author or period. From the Latin spuria, the nominative neuter plural form of spurius ("false, illegitimate"), whence English spurious. Unlike "forgery" (which smacks of deliberate deceit) or "apocrypha" (which cloaks uncertainty in the mantle of sacred tradition), spuria are the orphans of authorship—disowned, disputed, left to linger in the margins of credibility. They are the gospel attributed to a saint who never wrote it, the love letter slipped into the wrong archive, the antique vase too perfect to be ancient. The world is full of things that might be true, if only someone would claim them.

noun

  1. Spurious things; especially, a counterfeit or forged written work or one of doubtful attribution.“The laſt will and teſtament of Grunnius, a Roman pig, publiſhed among Gruter’s Spuria, betrays not more evident marks of impoſition.”