mendax

Latin

Etymology

Derived from Proto-Indo-European *mend- (“to fault”), whence also mendum and menda, plus -āx. Original meaning was "faulty" and was shifted towards "deceitful" under the influence of mentior (“I lie”).

Pronunciation

(Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈmen.daːks/, [ˈmɛn̪d̪äːks̠]
(modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈmen.daks/, [ˈmɛn̪d̪äks]

Adjective

mendāx (genitive mendācis, comparative mendācior, superlative mendācissimus, adverb mendāciter); third-declension one-termination adjective

deceitful, lying, deceptive, untruthful, false, mendacious, feigned, not real.

Declension

Note that mendāce is an alternative form for the ablative singular mendācī

Third-declension one-termination adjective.

Case / Gender	Masc./Fem.	Neuter	Masc./Fem.	Neuter
Number	Singular		Plural
Nominative	mendāx		mendācēs	mendācia
Genitive	mendācis		mendācium
Dative	mendācī		mendācibus
Accusative	mendācem	mendāx	mendācēs	mendācia
Ablative	mendācī		mendācibus
Vocative	mendāx		mendācēs	mendācia

Synonyms

(false, lying): dēceptōrius, fallāx, falsus, levis

Antonyms

(antonym(s) of “false, untruthful”): sincērus, vērāx, vēridicus, vērus

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

English: mendacious
Italian: mendace
Portuguese: mendace, mendaz
Spanish: mendaz

Noun

mendāx m (genitive mendācis); third declension

liar

Declension

Third-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	mendāx	mendācēs
Genitive	mendācis	mendācum
Dative	mendācī	mendācibus
Accusative	mendācem	mendācēs
Ablative	mendāce	mendācibus
Vocative	mendāx	mendācēs

References

“mendax”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“mendax”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
mendax in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
Julius Pokorny (1959), Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, in 3 vols, Bern, München: Francke Verlag