false friend

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Pronunciation 1.2 Noun 1.2.1 Usage notes 1.2.2 Translations 1.3 See also

[edit] English

Wikipedia

[edit] Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˌfɒls ˈfrɛnd/, /ˌfɔːls ˈfrɛnd/
• (US) IPA: /ˌfɑːls ˈfrɛnd/
•  Audio (US)^{help, file}

[edit] Noun

false friend (plural false friends)

1. (linguistics, idiomatic) A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language.

[edit] Usage notes

• Examples:
  • The French nous demandons means "we ask", but sounds like "we demand", which can turn negotiation into confrontation.
  • The Spanish word embarazada means "pregnant", not "embarrassed" — "Estoy embarazada" means "I am pregnant", not "I am embarrassed".
  • The German word will (want) is not a future tense marker — "Ich will gehen" means "I want to go", not "I will go".
    • Same for Dutch, "Ik wil gaan" means "I want to go".
  • The Italian word triviale (vulgar) is written almost like trivial, but the two words share only a common Latin root (trivium in Latin means crossroad) and no longer any meaning; "Questo è triviale" means "This is in bad taste", not "This is obvious".

[edit] Translations

[edit] See also

• cognate
• false cognate