pretences
plural of pretence
Source: Wiktionary
Pre*tence", n., Pre*tence"ful, a., Pre*tence"*less, a.
Definition: See Pretense, Pretenseful, Pretenseless.
Pre*tense", Pre*tence, n. Etym: [LL. praetensus, for L. praetentus, p. p. of praetendere. See Pretend, and cf. Tension.]
1. The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption; pretension. Spenser. Primogeniture can not have any pretense to a right of solely inheriting property or power. Locke. I went to Lambeth with Sir R. Brown's pretense to the wardenship of Merton College, Oxford. Evelyn.
2. The act of holding out, or offering, to others something false or feigned; presentation of what is deceptive or hypocritical; deception by showing what is unreal and concealing what is real; false show; simulation; as, pretense of illness; under pretense of patriotism; on pretense of revenging Cæsar's death.
3. That which is pretended; false, deceptive, or hypocritical show, argument, or reason; pretext; feint. Let not the Trojans, with a feigned pretense Of proffered peace, delude the Latian prince. Dryden.
4. Intention; design. [Obs.] A very pretense and purpose of unkindness. Shak.
Note: See the Note under Offense.
Syn.
– Mask; appearance; color; show; pretext; excuse.
– Pretense, Pretext. A pretense is something held out as real when it is not so, thus falsifying the truth. A pretext is something woven up in order to cover or conceal one's true motives, feelings, or reasons. Pretext is often, but not always, used in a bad sense.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
28 December 2024
(noun) small asexual fruiting body resembling a cushion or blister consisting of a mat of hyphae that is produced on a host by some fungi
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