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pretexting

 - 1 dictionary result
pre·text   (prē'těkst')   
n.  
  1. An ostensible or professed purpose; an excuse.

  2. An effort or strategy intended to conceal something.

tr.v.   pre·text·ed, pre·text·ing, pre·texts
To allege as an excuse.

[Latin praetextum, from neuter past participle of praetexere, to disguise : prae-, pre- + texere, to weave; see teks- in Indo-European roots.]
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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