dissemble

dissemble
dissembler, n.dissemblingly, adv.
/di sem"beuhl/, v., dissembled, dissembling.
v.t.
1. to give a false or misleading appearance to; conceal the truth or real nature of: to dissemble one's incompetence in business.
2. to put on the appearance of; feign: to dissemble innocence.
3. Obs. to let pass unnoticed; ignore.
v.i.
4. to conceal one's true motives, thoughts, etc., by some pretense; speak or act hypocritically.
[1490-1500; alter. (by assoc. with obs. semble to RESEMBLE) of ME dissimulen < L dissimulare. See DIS-1, SIMULATE]
Syn. 1. mask, hide, camouflage, dissimulate.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Dissemble — Dis*sem ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Dissembled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Dissembling}.] [OF. dissembler to be dissimilar; pref. dis (L. dis ) + F. sembler to seem, L. simulare to simulate; cf. L. dissimulare to dissemble. See {Simulate}, and cf.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dissemble — [di sem′bəl] vt. dissembled, dissembling [ME dissemblen < OFr dessembler < des , DIS + sembler < L simulare: see SIMULATE] 1. to conceal under a false appearance; disguise [to dissemble fear by smiling] 2. Obs. to pretend to be in a… …   English World dictionary

  • dissemble — means ‘to pretend; to disguise or conceal’. • One of nature s innocents. He couldn t dissemble if he tried P. O Donnell, 1971. It should not be used to mean ‘to take apart’ as if it were a shorter form of disassemble …   Modern English usage

  • Dissemble — Dis*sem ble, v. i. To conceal the real fact, motives, intention, or sentiments, under some pretense; to assume a false appearance; to act the hypocrite. [1913 Webster] He that hateth dissembleth with his lips. Prov. xxvi. 24. [1913 Webster] He… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • dissemble — index assume (simulate), camouflage, cheat, cloak, deceive, delude, disguise, distort …   Law dictionary

  • dissemble — early 15c. (implied in dissemblable), apparently a variant of M.E. dissimule (influenced by M.Fr. dessembler or English resemble), late 14c., from O.Fr. dissimuler, from L. dissimulare (see DISSIMULATION (Cf. dissimulation)). Related: Dissembled; …   Etymology dictionary

  • dissemble — mask, cloak, *disguise, camouflage Analogous words: simulate, feign, counterfeit, sham, pretend, *assume, affect Antonyms: betray Contrasted words: *reveal, disclose, discover: *show, manifest, evidence, evince, demonstrate …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • dissemble — [v] disguise, pretend affect, camouflage, cloak, conceal, counterfeit, cover, cover up, dissimulate, doublespeak*, double talk*, dress up, fake, falsify, feign, four flush*, hide, let on*, make like*, mask, pass, play possum*, pussyfoot*, put on… …   New thesaurus

  • dissemble — ► VERB ▪ hide or disguise one s true motives or feelings. DERIVATIVES dissembler noun. ORIGIN Latin dissimulare disguise, conceal …   English terms dictionary

  • dissemble — [[t]dɪse̱mb(ə)l[/t]] dissembles, dissembling, dissembled VERB When people dissemble, they hide their real intentions or emotions. [LITERARY] Henry was not slow to dissemble when it served his purposes. [Also V n] …   English dictionary

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