What is the Latin word for feign?

The usual Latin words for “feign” are fingō, cōnfingō, comminīscor; also simulō, assimulō, examplō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“feign” in Latin

fingōto shape, fashion, form, knead (dough); to touch, touch gently, stroke, stroke gently, handle; to adorn, dress, arrange cōnfingōto form, fashion, fabricate; to invent, devise, feign, pretend comminīscorto devise, contrive, invent simulōto make like, simulate, imitate, copy, represent; to feign, pretend; to behave or act (as if, as though)assimulōto consider as similar, make similar, assimilate; to consider as similar, compare; to represent something that is not as examplōto broaden

The English word feign itself goes back to Latin fingō.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

feign

fingere: confingere (to compose or make up anything that is not true): comminisci (to invent anything that is not true): simulare, or assimulare, or, if an adjective follows as object, assimulare se; all either with accusative of the object, or with accusative and infinitive, or with quasi and subjunctive, as in the following examples (to pretend anything to be, although it is not; e.g., Liv., 1, 9; dissimulare being to conceal what really is). To feign that one is ill, simulare aegrum; assimulare se aegrum; simulare valetudinem (to pretend to be ill, without being so in reality): to understand well the art of feigning, artificio simulationis eruditum esse: to feign to be learned, simulare se doctum esse; simulare doctrinam: to feign to be happy, assimulare se laetum, or hilaritatem fingere: I will feign to be going out, simulabo or assimulabo, quasi exeam: I shall feign not to see them, and that they are not here, dissimulo, hos quasi non videam neque adesse hic.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for feign?: The usual Latin words for “feign” are fingō, cōnfingō, comminīscor; also simulō, assimulō, examplō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.