/fawls"hood/ , n.
1. a false statement; lie.
2. something false; an untrue idea, belief, etc.: The Nazis propagated the falsehood of racial superiority.
3. the act of lying or making false statements.
4. lack of conformity to truth or fact.
5. Obs. deception.
[ 1250-1300; ME falshede. See FALSE, -HOOD ]
Syn. 1. FALSEHOOD, FIB, LIE, UNTRUTH refer to something untrue or incorrect. A FALSEHOOD is a statement that distorts or suppresses the truth, in order to deceive: to tell a falsehood about one's ancestry in order to gain acceptance. A FIB denotes a trivial falsehood, and is often used to characterize that which is not strictly true: a polite fib. A LIE is a vicious falsehood: to tell a lie about one's neighbor. An UNTRUTH is an incorrect statement, either intentionally misleading (less harsh, however, than falsehood or lie) or arising from misunderstanding or ignorance: I'm afraid you are telling an untruth. 3. untruthfulness, inveracity, mendacity.