ˈfān verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English feinen, feignen, from Old French feign-, stem of feindre, from Latin fingere to shape, form, devise, feign — more at dough
transitive verb
1.
a. : to cause (oneself) to appear
feign himself to be sick
feigned herself above such paltry activities
b. : to give a sham appearance of : simulate falsely
feign sickness
feign a limp merely to arouse sympathy
one of the birds which feigns death when taken in the hand — lying limply with closed eyes — E.A.Armstrong
: pretend
feigned to be asleep
: give a false impression
everybody had feigned … that his wife was as other wives — Arnold Bennett
c. obsolete : conceal especially by disguising : dissemble
2.
a. : to fashion by inventing (as a story or accusation) or by forging (as a document)
b. : to assert or relate as if true : allege
feign that he was not feeling well so that he could leave the party early
c. archaic : to give fictional or fabled representation to : relate in fiction or fable
d. archaic : to give an imitation of (as a voice or manner) : counterfeit
3.
a. archaic : to give a mental existence to or conjure up (something unreal) : imagine
b. obsolete : to believe erroneously
intransitive verb
1. obsolete : to give false information : lie
2. : dissemble , pretend
he told the truth because he was no good at feigning
3. : to create or invent fictional representations
the feigning novelist — W.V.O'Connor
Synonyms: see assume