different between pretext vs disguise

English

Etymology

From French prétexte, from Latin praetextum (“an ornament, etc., wrought in front, a pretense”), neuter of praetextus, past participle of praetexere (“to weave before, fringe or border, allege”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?p?i?t?kst/
• Hyphenation: pre?text

Noun

pretext (plural pretexts)

1. A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:pretext

Translations

Verb

pretext (third-person singular simple present pretexts, present participle pretexting, simple past and past participle pretexted)

1. To employ a pretext, which involves using a false or contrived purpose for soliciting the gain of something else.

   The spy obtained his phone records using possibly-illegal pretexting methods.

Synonyms

• blag (UK)

Translations

See also

• Social engineering on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Further reading

• pretext in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• pretext in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Romanian

Etymology

From French prétexte.

Noun

pretext n (plural pretexte)

1. pretext

Declension

English

Etymology

From Middle English disgisen, disguisen, borrowed from Old French desguiser (modern French déguiser), itself derived from des- (“dis-”) (from Latin dis-) + guise (“guise”) (from a Germanic source).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d?s??a?z/, /d?z??a?z/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d?s??a?z/, /d??ska?z/
• Hyphenation: dis?guise
• Rhymes: -a?z

Noun

disguise (countable and uncountable, plural disguises)

1. Material (such as clothing, makeup, a wig) used to alter one’s visual appearance in order to hide one's identity or assume another.

   A cape and moustache completed his disguise.

2. (figuratively) The appearance of something on the outside which masks what's beneath.
3. The act of disguising, notably as a ploy.

   Any disguise may expose soldiers to be deemed enemy spies.

4. (archaic) A change of behaviour resulting from intoxication.

Synonyms

• camouflage
• guise
• mask
• pretense

Translations

Verb

disguise (third-person singular simple present disguises, present participle disguising, simple past and past participle disguised)

1. (transitive) To change the appearance of (a person or thing) so as to hide, or to assume an identity.

   Spies often disguise themselves.
2. (transitive) To avoid giving away or revealing (something secret); to hide by a false appearance.

   He disguised his true intentions.

3. (archaic) To affect or change by liquor; to intoxicate.

   • I have just left the right worshipful, and his myrmidons, about a sneaker or five gallons; the whole magistracy was pretty well disguised before I gave them the slip.

Synonyms

• camouflage
• cloak
• mask
• hide

Derived terms

• disguisedly
• disguisement
• disguiser

Translations