English
pretend
Pretend comes from Latin praetendō ‘to put forward as an excuse, allege, pretend’, from Proto-Italic *tendō ‘to stretch’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *téndeti.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*téndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tendō‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtendō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraetendō‘to put forward as an excuse, allege, pretend’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400pretendre
- Englishearliest quotation 1591pretend
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*téndetireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*tendō‘to stretch’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtendō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEpraetendō‘to put forward as an excuse, allege, pretend’
- Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400pretendre
- Englishearliest quotation 1591pretend
Earliest quotation: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “Such as shall pretend / Malicious practices against his…”
A compound of *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’ + *tend- ‘to stretch, extend’
Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’
Proto-Indo-European *tend- ‘to stretch, extend’
The story
From Anglo-Norman pretendre, Middle French pretendre (French prétendre (‘to claim, demand’)), from Latin praetendere (‘to put forward, hold out, pretend’), from prae- (‘pre-’) + tendō (‘stretch’); see tend.
Linked words
through Proto-Italic *tendō ‘to stretch’
intentional, hypertension, hypotension, inattention, 30 more
through Latin tendō
attention, extensive, extension, extent, intention, tension, attendance, extend, tense, intend, tender, contention, tempt, contend, tensor, tensile, extensible, entente, portent, détente, portend, entendre, detent, 36 more
Today it means
verb To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *téndeti / pretend