Where does “feign” come from?

Feign comes from Middle English feinen and feynen, from Latin fingere meaning "to shape or form," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ- meaning "to form or knead."

feign (English): To make a false show or pretence of; to...

Definitions

  1. To make a false show or pretence of; to...

Ancestry of “feign”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfeynenTo make, produce, cause; To fake, feign, defraud,...
2Old Frenchfeindreto feign
3Latinfingeresecond-person singular future passive indicative...
4Proto-Indo-Europeandʰeyǵʰ-to knead; to form, to shape

Words derived from “feign”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰeyǵʰ- →
feign — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer