mensonge

French

Etymology

From Middle French mensonge, from Old French mençonge, mençunge, probably from a Vulgar Latin *mentionica, from Late Latin mentiō, 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 Portuguese mensonha, Romansh manzögna and Old French mensoigne, from a different but related root, and Romanian minciună.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɑ̃.sɔ̃ʒ/

• audio:

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Noun

mensonge m (plural mensonges)

1. a lie or falsehood

Derived terms

• mensonger

Related terms

• mentir

See also

• mention

Further reading

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

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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)