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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

men·da·cious

Audio Help [men-dey-shuh

s] Pronunciation Key

–adjective

1.	telling lies, esp. habitually; dishonest; lying; untruthful: a mendacious person.

2.	false or untrue: a mendacious report.

[Origin: 1610–20; < L mendāci- (see mendacity) + -ous

]

—Related forms

men·da·cious·ly, adverb

men·da·cious·ness, noun

—Antonyms 1, 2. veracious.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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mendacious

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

men·da·cious Audio Help (měn-dā'shəs) Pronunciation Key
adj.

Lying; untruthful: a mendacious child.
False; untrue: a mendacious statement. See Synonyms at dishonest.

[From Latin mendācium, lie, from mendāx, mendāc-, mendacious.]

men·da'cious·ly adv.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mendacious

1616, from M.Fr. mendacieux, from L. mendacium "a lie," from mendax (gen. mendacis) "lying, deceitful," related to menda "fault, defect, carelessness in writing" (cf. amend, mendicant), from PIE base *mend- "physical defect, fault." The sense evolution of mendax influenced by mentiri "to speak falsely, lie, deceive." Mendacity is attested from 1646.

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