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counterfeit

 - 6 dictionary results

coun⋅ter⋅feit

[koun-ter-fit]
–adjective
1. made in imitation so as to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; not genuine; forged: counterfeit dollar bills.
2. pretended; unreal: counterfeit grief.
–noun
3. an imitation intended to be passed off fraudulently or deceptively as genuine; forgery.
4. Archaic. a copy.
5. Archaic. a close likeness; portrait.
6. Obsolete. impostor; pretender.
–verb (used with object)
7. to make a counterfeit of; imitate fraudulently; forge.
8. to resemble.
9. to simulate.
–verb (used without object)
10. to make counterfeits, as of money.
11. to feign; dissemble.

Origin:
1250–1300; (adj.) ME countrefet false, forged < AF cuntrefet, OF contrefait, ptp. of conterfere to copy, imitate, equiv. to conter- counter- + fere to make, do ≪ L facere (see fact ); (v.) ME countrefeten, v. deriv. of countrefet


coun⋅ter⋅feit⋅er, noun
coun⋅ter⋅feit⋅ly, adverb
coun⋅ter⋅feit⋅ness, noun


1. spurious, bogus. See false. 2. sham, feigned, simulated, fraudulent; mock, fake, ersatz. 3. falsification, sham. 7. copy; falsify.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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coun·ter·feit   (koun'tər-fĭt')   
v.   coun·ter·feit·ed, coun·ter·feit·ing, coun·ter·feits

v.   tr.
  1. To make a copy of, usually with the intent to defraud; forge: counterfeits money.

  2. To make a pretense of; feign: counterfeited interest in the story.

v.   intr.
  1. To carry on a deception; dissemble.

  2. To make fraudulent copies of something valuable.

adj.  
  1. Made in imitation of what is genuine with the intent to defraud: a counterfeit dollar bill.

  2. Simulated; feigned: a counterfeit illness.

n.  A fraudulent imitation or facsimile.

[Middle English countrefeten, from contrefet, made in imitation, from Old French contrefait, past participle of contrefaire, to counterfeit : contre-, counter- + faire, to make (from Latin facere; see dhē- in Indo-European roots).]
coun'ter·feit'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

counterfeit  (v.)
1292, from O.Fr. contrefait "imitated," pp. of contrefaire "imitate," from contre- "against" + faire "to make, to do" (from L. facere; see factitious). M.L. contrafactio meant "setting in opposition or contrast." The verb is from c.1290.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: 1coun·ter·feit
Pronunciation: 'kaun-t&r-"fit
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle French contrefait, past participle of contrefaire to imitate, draw, paint, from contre- counter- + faire to make
: made in imitation of a genuine article (as a document) without authorization and esp. with intent to deceive or defraud

Main Entry: 2counterfeit
Function: transitive verb
: to make an imitation of without authorization and esp. with intent to deceive or defraud counterfeits any deed —U.S. Code> —coun·ter·feit·er noun

Main Entry: 3counterfeit
Function: noun
: something counterfeit counterfeits of any coins or obligations —U.S. Code> —compare FORGERY
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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