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false friend

A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language.

Etymology:

  • Calque of French faux ami, from the longer phrase faux amis du traducteur, first used by Maxime Kœssler and Jules Derocquigny in 1928 in their book Les Faux Amis ou les trahisons du vocabulaire anglais.
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Submitted on September 01, 2009

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    "false friend." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/false-friend_3542>.

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