Pretends

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Acts in a way that suggests a false reality or feeling, often to deceive or entertain
2. Behaves as though a situation or emotion exists, although it is not genuine
3. Simulates or feigns a state or condition to mislead others or for imaginative play

Etymology: "Pretends" is the third-person singular form of "pretend," so the word's history is really the history of its verb. The surprising part is how literal it started: the Latin "praetendere" meant "to stretch out in front," as in holding a hand or a shield forward. From that physical image came the sense of holding something out as a cover, and then of putting forward a false appearance to hide the truth. The word passed into English through Anglo-Norman and Middle French, where "pretendre" carried the Latin idea of putting something forward, and also the sense of laying a claim, as in claiming a right or title. English kept both threads: the claim sense survives in phrases like "pretender to the throne," while the deceptive sense became the everyday meaning. The Latin root "tendere," "to stretch," also gave English "tend," "tension," and "tent," which all share the same image of something pulled taut. "Pre-" simply places the stretching in front, so the notion of extending something forward in space underlies the idea of extending a false show before others.

Synonyms: fakes, simulates, acts, masquerades, deceives

Antonyms: reveals, honestly, discloses, confesses, admits