Disguise
/dɪsˈɡaɪz/noun
To alter one’s appearance or manner to conceal identity.
Did you know?Disguise entered English through French from a root meaning “to guide apart” or “lead away,” which is why the word carries the eerie sense of steering a truth out of sight.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*gʰewdʰ-
“to pour, shed, or stream”
Old French
OF
desguiser
“to alter the form or appearance of”
Middle English
ME
disguysen
“to change the appearance of; to put on a false appearance”
Modern English
English
disguise
“to conceal identity by changing appearance”