mensonge

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French mensonge, from Old French mençonge, mençunge, probably from a Vulgar Latin *mentionica, from Late Latin mentiōnem (in the sense of "lie" rather than "mention"), probably formed from haplology of a root *mentītiō, from Latin mentītus, past participle of mentior. Cognate to Occitan messorga, messonja, mensònega; compare also Italian menzogna, Old Galician-Portuguese mensonha, Romansch manzögna and Old French mensoigne, from a different but related root, and Romanian minciună.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑ̃.sɔ̃ʒ/

• Audio; “un mensonge” [æ̃ mɒ̃ˈsõːʒ]:

  (file)

Noun

mensonge m (plural mensonges)

1. a lie or falsehood

   Synonyms: bobard, carabistouille, menterie, tromperie

   faire des mensonges gros comme des montagnes

   telling lies as tall as mountains

Derived terms

• mensonge pieux
• mensonger (adjective)
• pieux mensonge

Related terms

• menteur (“liar”)
• mentir (verb)

See also

• mention

Further reading

• “mensonge”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle French

Alternative forms

• mençonge

Noun

mensonge m or f (plural mensonges)

1. a lie or falsehood

References

• mensonge on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)