Where does “pretence” come from?
Pretence comes from Middle French pretensse, from Late Latin praetensus, the past participle of Latin praetendo meaning "to stretch before or allege," from prae "before" and tendo "to stretch," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European per-.
pretence (English): An act of pretending or pretension; a false claim...
Definitions
- An act of pretending or pretension; a false claim...
Ancestry of “pretence”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | pretensse | — |
| 2 | Late Latin | praetensus | Having been stretched forth; having been... |
| 3 | Latin | praetendō | to stretch forth or forward; to extend |
| 4 | Latin | prae- | before; in front; in charge |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | prai- | pre-, before |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | preh₂- | before, in front |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |