false: [OE] False appears originally to have been borrowed directly from Latin falsus at the end of the 10th century, but without making much of an impression. It was only in the 12th century that it began being used with any frequency, probably as the result of an extra impetus given by reborrowing it via Old French fals. The word’s ultimate source was the Latin verb fallere ‘deceive’, from which English also gets fail, fallacy, fallible, and fault. => fail, fallacy, fallible, fault
false (adj.)
late Old English, "intentionally untrue, lying," of religion, "not of the true faith, not in accord with Christian doctrines," from Old French fals, faus "false, fake; incorrect, mistaken; treacherous, deceitful" (12c., Modern French faux), from Latin falsus "deceptive, feigned, deceitful, pretend," also "deceived, erroneous, mistaken," past participle of fallere "deceive, disappoint," which is of uncertain origin (see fail (v.)).
Adopted into other Germanic languages (cognates: German falsch, Dutch valsch, Old Frisian falsk, Danish falsk), though English is the only one in which the active sense of "deceitful" (a secondary sense in Latin) has predominated. From c. 1200 as "deceitful, disloyal, treacherous; not genuine;" from early 14c. as "contrary to fact or reason, erroneous, wrong." False alarm recorded from 1570s. False step (1700) translates French faux pas. To bear false witness is attested from mid-13c.
雙語例句
1. I was wearing false eyelashes and a sweater two sizes too small.
我戴著假睫毛，穿著小了兩號的毛衣。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Look at the false police reports that omitted or misstated crucial facts.
看看這份失實的警方報告吧，它忽略或歪曲了關鍵的事實。
來自柯林斯例句
3. In the early seventies I wore false eyelashes, as was the fashion.
70年代初我戴假睫毛，這在當時是時尚。
來自柯林斯例句
4. I can't understand why folks complain about false teeth.
我就不明白，人們為什么老是抱怨假牙的問題。
來自柯林斯例句
5. It seems a false economy to me to cut down on libraries.