False pretenses

False False, a. [Compar. {Falser}; superl. {Falsest}.] [L. falsus, p. p. of fallere to deceive; cf. OF. faus, fals, F. faux, and AS. fals fraud. See {Fail}, {Fall}.] 1. Uttering falsehood; unveracious; given to deceit; dishnest; as, a false witness. [1913 Webster]

2. Not faithful or loyal, as to obligations, allegiance, vows, etc.; untrue; treacherous; perfidious; as, a false friend, lover, or subject; false to promises. [1913 Webster]

I to myself was false, ere thou to me. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. Not according with truth or reality; not true; fitted or likely to deceive or disappoint; as, a false statement. [1913 Webster]

4. Not genuine or real; assumed or designed to deceive; counterfeit; hypocritical; as, false tears; false modesty; false colors; false jewelry. [1913 Webster]

False face must hide what the false heart doth know. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

5. Not well founded; not firm or trustworthy; erroneous; as, a false claim; a false conclusion; a false construction in grammar. [1913 Webster]

Whose false foundation waves have swept away. --Spenser. [1913 Webster]

6. Not essential or permanent, as parts of a structure which are temporary or supplemental. [1913 Webster]

7. (Mus.) Not in tune. [1913 Webster]

{False arch} (Arch.), a member having the appearance of an arch, though not of arch construction.

{False attic}, an architectural erection above the main cornice, concealing a roof, but not having windows or inclosing rooms.

{False bearing}, any bearing which is not directly upon a vertical support; thus, the weight carried by a corbel has a false bearing.

{False cadence}, an imperfect or interrupted cadence.

{False conception} (Med.), an abnormal conception in which a mole, or misshapen fleshy mass, is produced instead of a properly organized fetus.

{False croup} (Med.), a spasmodic affection of the larynx attended with the symptoms of membranous croup, but unassociated with the deposit of a fibrinous membrane.

{False door} or {False window} (Arch.), the representation of a door or window, inserted to complete a series of doors or windows or to give symmetry.

{False fire}, a combustible carried by vessels of war, chiefly for signaling, but sometimes burned for the purpose of deceiving an enemy; also, a light on shore for decoying a vessel to destruction.

{False galena}. See {Blende}.

{False imprisonment} (Law), the arrest and imprisonment of a person without warrant or cause, or contrary to law; or the unlawful detaining of a person in custody.

{False keel} (Naut.), the timber below the main keel, used to serve both as a protection and to increase the shio's lateral resistance.

{False key}, a picklock.

{False leg}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Proleg}.

{False membrane} (Med.), the fibrinous deposit formed in croup and diphtheria, and resembling in appearance an animal membrane.

{False papers} (Naut.), documents carried by a ship giving false representations respecting her cargo, destination, etc., for the purpose of deceiving.

{False passage} (Surg.), an unnatural passage leading off from a natural canal, such as the urethra, and produced usually by the unskillful introduction of instruments.

{False personation} (Law), the intentional false assumption of the name and personality of another.

{False pretenses} (Law), false representations concerning past or present facts and events, for the purpose of defrauding another.

{False rail} (Naut.), a thin piece of timber placed on top of the head rail to strengthen it.

{False relation} (Mus.), a progression in harmony, in which a certain note in a chord appears in the next chord prefixed by a flat or sharp.

{False return} (Law), an untrue return made to a process by the officer to whom it was delivered for execution.

{False ribs} (Anat.), the asternal rebs, of which there are five pairs in man.

{False roof} (Arch.), the space between the upper ceiling and the roof. --Oxford Gloss.

{False token}, a false mark or other symbol, used for fraudulent purposes.

{False scorpion} (Zo["o]l.), any arachnid of the genus {Chelifer}. See {Book scorpion}.

{False tack} (Naut.), a coming up into the wind and filling away again on the same tack.

{False vampire} (Zo["o]l.), the {Vampyrus spectrum} of South America, formerly erroneously supposed to have blood-sucking habits; -- called also {vampire}, and {ghost vampire}. The genuine blood-sucking bats belong to the genera {Desmodus} and {Diphylla}. See {Vampire}.

{False window}. (Arch.) See {False door}, above.

{False wing}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Alula}, and {Bastard wing}, under {Bastard}.

{False works} (Civil Engin.), construction works to facilitate the erection of the main work, as scaffolding, bridge centering, etc. [1913 Webster]