different between falsehood vs fib

English

Etymology

From Middle English falshede, from false + -hede.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?f?ls?h?d/

Noun

falsehood (countable and uncountable, plural falsehoods)

1. (uncountable) The property of being false.
2. (countable) A false statement, especially an intentional one; a lie.

   Don't tell falsehoods.

3. (archaic, rare) Mendacity, deceitfulness; the trait of a person who is mendacious and deceitful.
   • 1984, Witness Lee, Life-Study: Revelation: Volume Three: Messages 34-50, Living Stream Ministry (1999), ?ISBN, page 511:

     The false prophet looks like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon. This indicates his falsehood. […] He will pretend to be the same as Christ.

Usage notes

• Falsehood, Falseness, Falsity; untruth, fabrication, fiction. Instances may be quoted in abundance from old authors to show that the first three words are often strictly synonymous; but the modern tendency has been decidedly in favor of separating them, falsehood standing for the concrete thing, an intentional lie; falseness, for the quality of being guiltily false or treacherous: as, he is justly despised for his falseness to his oath; and falsity, for the quality of being false without blame: as, the falsity of reasoning. — The Century Dictionary, 1911.

Quotations

• Syn. Falsehood, Falseness, Falsity; untruth, fabrication, fiction. Instances may be quoted in abundance from old authors to show that the first three words are often strictly synonymous; but the modern tendency has been decidedly in favor of separating them, falsehood standing for the concrete thing, an intentional lie; falseness, for the quality of being guiltily false or treacherous: as, he is justly despised for his falseness to his oath; and falsity, for the quality of being false without blame: as, the falsity of reasoning. — the Century Dictionary, 1911.
• Micah 2:11 (KJV):

  If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

• 1909, John Potts, Secret Lodge System:

  The lodge upheld, sustained and honored this man in his double life, his deceit, his falsehood, his hypocrisy.

Synonyms

• (property of being false): falsity
• (intentionally false statement): lie
• (deceitfulness): falseness, mendacity
• See also Thesaurus:falsehood

Antonyms

• (false statement): truth, verity

Translations

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f?b/
• Rhymes: -?b

Etymology 1

Probably from fable; compare fibble-fable (“nonsense”).

Noun

fib (plural fibs)

1. (informal) A lie, especially one that is more or less inconsequential.
   • 1878, Henry James, The Europeans Volume 1 Chapter 6

     I am told they are very sincere; they don't tell fibs.

2. (informal, rare) A liar.

Synonyms

• (lie): See Thesaurus:lie

Translations

Verb

fib (third-person singular simple present fibs, present participle fibbing, simple past and past participle fibbed)

1. (informal, intransitive) To lie, especially more or less inconsequentially.

Translations

Derived terms

• fibber
• fibbery
• fibster

See also

• pilfer

References

• fib in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913. (etymology)
• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “fib”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Etymology 2

Shortened from fibula.

Noun

fib (plural fibs)

1. (medicine, informal) The fibula.

See also

• tib

Etymology 3

Verb

fib (third-person singular simple present fibs, present participle fibbing, simple past and past participle fibbed)

1. (archaic, thieves' cant, boxing) To punch, especially a series of punches in rapid succession; to beat; to hit; to strike.

Synonyms

• pummel

Derived terms

• fibbing (“pummelling”)
• fibbing-gloak
• fibbing-match

References

• Farmer, John Stephen (1891) Slang and Its Analogues?^[3], volume 2, page 387

Etymology 4

Short for Fibonacci.

Noun

fib (plural fibs)

1. (neologism) A kind of experimental poem where the number of syllables in each line is the next succeeding Fibonacci number.

Anagrams

• BFI, BIF, FBI, IBF, bif

Volapük

Noun

fib (nominative plural fibs)

1. weakness

Declension

Derived terms

• fibot