Falsify
/ˈfɔːl.sɪ.faɪ/noun
To make false or misleading, or to alter something dishonestly.
Did you know?‘Falsify’ ultimately traces back to Latin *falsus* (“deceived, false”), from *fallere* (“to deceive”), the same ancient root behind words for trickery and failure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bʰel-
“to deceive, cheat, or make someone slip into error”
Latin
Latin
fallere
“to deceive, trick, or disappoint”
Latin
Latin
falsus
“deceived; false”
Old French
Old French
falsifier
“to make false; to counterfeit”
Middle English
English
falsifien
“to falsify, counterfeit, or make untrue”
Modern English
English
falsify
“to alter or represent something dishonestly as false or misleading”