Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A word or phrase in one language that is similar in appearance to a word or phrase in another language but has a different meaning, as French actuel, “current,” and English actual, “real.”

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun linguistics, idiomatic A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language.

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Translation of French faux ami : faux, false + ami, friend.]

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Examples

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Comments

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  • a false friend is a word in a foreign language you are attempting to learn which resembles the spelling of a word in a language you know, but means something completely different.

    April 13, 2010

  • short for false friend of a translator

    September 24, 2015