Counterfeit
/ˈkaʊn.tər.fɪt/noun
A fake or imitation made to deceive, especially a forged copy of money or documents.
Did you know?In early English, the word was tied to the idea of an imitation made to pass as real, and its rise tracks the long history of forged coins, seals, and documents as tools of fraud and authority.
Etymological Timeline
Late Middle English
English
counterfeit
“An imitation made to look genuine; a forged copy.”
Old French
Old French
contrefait
“Counterfeited, imitated, made in opposition to the original.”
Latin
Latin
contra
“Against, opposite.”
Latin
Latin
facere
“To make, do, perform.”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*dheh₁-
“To put, place, set; the deep ancestral root behind Latin facere and related forms.”