[sham] n [perh. fr. E dial. sham shame, alter. of E shame] (1677) 1: a trick that deludes: hoax
2: cheap falseness: hypocrisy
3: an ornamental covering for a pillow
4: an imitation or counterfeit purporting to be genuine
5: a person who shams syn see imposture
[2]sham adj (1681) 1: not genuine: false, feigned
2: having such poor quality as to seem false [3]sham vb shammed ; sham.ming vt (1755): to go through the external motions necessary to counterfeit ~ vi: to act intentionally so as to give a false impression: feign -- sham.mer n syn see assume