Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of False?

\False\, a. [Compar. {Falser}; superl. {Falsest}.] [L. falsus, p. p. of fallere to deceive; cf. OF. faus, fals, F. faux, and AS. fals fraud. See {Fail}, {Fall}.] 1. Uttering falsehood; unveracious; given to deceit; dishnest; as, a false witness. 2. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous; perfidious; as, a false friend, lover, or subject; false to promises. I to myself was false, ere thou to me. --Milton. 3. Not according with truth or reality; not true; fitted or likely to deceive or disappoint; as, a false statement. 4. Not genuine or real; assumed or designed to deceive; counterfeit; hypocritical; as, false tears; false modesty; false colors; false jewelry. False face must hide what the false heart doth know. --Shak. 5. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous; as, a false claim; a false conclusion; a false construction in grammar. Whose false foundation waves have swept away. --Spenser. 6. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental. 7. (Mus.) Not in tune. {False arch} (Arch.), a member having the appearance of an arch, though not of arch construction. {False attic}, an architectural erection above the main cornice, concealing a roof, but not having windows or inclosing rooms. {False bearing}, any bearing which is not directly upon a vertical support; thus, the weight carried by a corbel has a false bearing. {False cadence}, an imperfect or interrupted cadence. {False conception} (Med.), an abnormal conception in which a mole, or misshapen fleshy mass, is produced instead of a properly organized fetus. {False croup} (Med.), a spasmodic affection of the larynx attended with the symptoms of membranous croup, but unassociated with the deposit of a fibrinous membrane. {False} {door or window} (Arch.), the representation of a door or window, inserted to complete a series of doors or windows or to give symmetry. {False fire}, a combustible carried by vessels of war, chiefly for signaling, but sometimes burned for the purpose of deceiving an enemy; also, a light on shore for decoying a vessel to destruction. {False galena}. See {Blende}. {False imprisonment} (Law), the arrest and imprisonment of a person without warrant or cause, or contrary to law; or the unlawful detaining of a person in custody. {False keel} (Naut.), the timber below the main keel, used to serve both as a protection and to increase the shio's lateral resistance. {False key}, a picklock. {False leg}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Proleg}. {False membrane} (Med.), the fibrinous deposit formed in croup and diphtheria, and resembling in appearance an animal membrane. {False papers} (Naut.), documents carried by a ship giving false representations respecting her cargo, destination, ect., for the purpose of deceiving. {False passage} (Surg.), an unnatural passage leading off from a natural canal, such as the urethra, and produced usually by the unskillful introduction of instruments. {False personation} (Law), the intentional false assumption of the name and personality of another. {False pretenses} (Law), false representations concerning past or present facts and events, for the purpose of defrauding another. {False rail} (Naut.), a thin piece of timber placed on top of the head rail to strengthen it. {False relation} (Mus.), a progression in harmony, in which a certain note in a chord appears in the next chord prefixed by a flat or sharp. {False return} (Law), an untrue return made to a process by the officer to whom it was delivered for execution. {False ribs} (Anat.), the asternal rebs, of which there are five pairs in man. {False roof} (Arch.), the space between the upper ceiling and the roof. --Oxford Gloss. {False token}, a false mark or other symbol, used for fraudulent purposes. {False scorpion} (Zo["o]l.), any arachnid of the genus {Chelifer}. See {Book scorpion}. {False tack} (Naut.), a coming up into the wind and filling away again on the same tack. {False vampire} (Zo["o]l.), the {Vampyrus spectrum} of South America, formerly erroneously supposed to have blood-sucking habits; -- called also {vampire}, and {ghost vampire}. The genuine blood-sucking bats belong to the genera {Desmodus} and {Diphylla}. See {Vampire}. {False window}. (Arch.) See {False door}, above. {False wing}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Alula}, and {Bastard wing}, under {Bastard}. {False works} (Civil Engin.), construction works to facilitate the erection of the main work, as scaffolding, bridge centering, etc.
\False\, adv. Not truly; not honestly; falsely. ``You play me false.'' --Shak.
\False\, v. t. [L. falsare to falsify, fr. falsus: cf. F. fausser. See {False}, a.] 1. To report falsely; to falsify. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. To betray; to falsify. [Obs.] [He] hath his truthe falsed in this wise. --Chaucer. 3. To mislead by want of truth; to deceive. [Obs.] In his falsed fancy. --Spenser. 4. To feign; to pretend to make. [Obs.] ``And falsed oft his blows.'' --Spenser.