Pretend
/prɪˈtɛnd/noun
To act as if something is true or real when it is not.
Did you know?Pretend comes from Latin tendere, “to stretch,” through the idea of stretching a claim or appearance forward, not from any ancient word for lying.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
praetendere
“to stretch forth, allege, put forward as a claim”
Late Latin
Latin
praetensus
“stretched out before; alleged, claimed”
Old French
Old French
pretendre
“to claim, assert, lay claim to”
Middle English
English
pretenden
“to claim, allege, assert”
Modern English
English
pretend
“to act as if something is true or real when it is not”