English → Latin
“feint” in Latin
captātiōlegacy-hunting; feintā̆stus(by) craft, cunning, guile (with a positive or negative connotation); tricks, stratagemssimulātiōfeigning, shamming, pretence, feint; insincerity, deceit, hypocrisy; simulationstrophastrophefallāxdeceptive, deceitful; fallacious, spuriousgladiātorgladiator, swordsman; a term of reproach for someone who behaves violently in the manner of a gladiator; a murderer, cut
The English word feint itself goes back to Latin fingō, through fingere.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
feint
In fencing, captatio (e.g., Quint., 5, 13, 14, si geminata captatio [e.g., gladiatorum], ut bis cavere, bis repetere oportuerit): astus (the cunning resorted to in making a cut or thrust; Liv., 28, 21, extr.): to make a feint, aliud ostendere quam petere (Quint. 11, 1, 20); manum proferre ad evocandum adversarii ictum (Quint. 5, 13, 4).
Deception, simulatio: astus (Vid: above): stropha (a cunning or deceitful pretext; Vid: Plin., Ep., 1, 18, 6; Gierig.): fabrfca (a cunning trick; comically; e.g., fabricis et doctis dolis, Plaut.): fallacia (deceit in general). To make a feint, stropham invenire (Plin., Ep., etc.); fabricam fingere (comically); fallaciam intendere in aliquem; fallacia aggredi aliquem (†).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for feint?
- The usual Latin words for “feint” are captātiō, ā̆stus, simulātiō; also stropha, fallāx, gladiātor. 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.