mendacity

English

Etymology

From post-classical Latin mendacitas, from Latin mendāx (“lying”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA: /mɛnˈdasəti/
• (US) IPA: /mɛnˈdæsəti/

Noun

mendacity (plural mendacities)

1. The fact or condition of being untruthful; dishonesty.
   • 1955, Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, act II:

     Big Daddy: ... Think of all the lies I got to put up with!-Pretenses! Ain't that mendacity? Having to pretend stuff you don't think or feel or have any idea of?

2. A lie, deceit or falsehood.

Related terms

• mendacious
• mendaciously
• mendaciousness

Translations

The fact or condition of being untruthful; dishonest

• Dutch: leugenachtigheid (nl), oneerlijkheid (nl)
• Finnish: valheellisuus (fi), epärehellisyys (fi)
• German: Verlogenheit (de) f
• Norwegian: uærlighet (no) m

• Russian: лживость (ru) (lživostʹ) f
• Spanish: mendacidad (es) f
• Turkish: yalancılık (tr)

A lie, deceit or falsehood

• Dutch: leugen (nl), bedrog (nl)
• Finnish: valhe (fi), petos (fi), vilppi (fi)
• German: Unwahrheit (de)

• Norwegian: falskhet (no) m
• Russian: ложь (ru) (ložʹ) f
• Spanish: mentira (es) f