pretence

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: pre=tence

CIDE DICTIONARY

pretence, n. 

 See Pretense, Pretenseful, Pretenseless.  [1913 Webster]

pretence, n. [LL. praetensus, for L. praetentus, p. p. of praetendere. See Pretend, and cf. Tension.].

•  The act of laying claim; the claim laid; assumption; pretension.  Spenser.  [1913 Webster]

  "Primogeniture can not have any pretense to a right of solely inheriting property or power."  [1913 Webster]

  "I went to Lambeth with Sir R. Brown's pretense to the wardenship of Merton College, Oxford."  [1913 Webster]
•  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.  [1913 Webster]
•  That which is pretended; false, deceptive, or hypocritical show, argument, or reason; pretext; feint.  [1913 Webster]

  "Let not the Trojans, with a feigned pretense
  Of proffered peace, delude the Latian prince."  [1913 Webster]
•  Intention; design.  [1913 Webster]

  " See the Note under Offense."  [1913 Webster]

  "A very pretense and purpose of unkindness."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Mask; appearance; color; show; pretext; excuse.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

pretence, n. (US pretense)
1 pretending, make-believe.
2 a a pretext or excuse (on the slightest pretence). b a false show of intentions or motives (under the pretence of friendship; under false pretences).
3 (foll. by to) a claim, esp. a false or ambitious one (has no pretence to any great talent).
4 a affectation, display. b pretentiousness, ostentation (stripped of all pretence).

Etymology

ME f. AF pretense ult. f. med.L pretensus pretended (as PRETEND)

THESAURUS

pretence

airs, appearance, artifice, blind, camouflage, cloak, cover, cover-up, deception, disguise, display, dodge, excuse, fable, fabrication, facade, fairy tale, fakery, faking, falsification, feigning, fiction, figment, front, guise, hoax, humbug, humbuggery, hypocrisy, impression, invention, make-believe, mask, masquerade, ostentation, pose, posturing, pretending, pretension, pretentiousness, pretext, ruse, sham, show, story, veil