Emily Dickinson Lexicon

FAL'LOW-ING, ppr.

Plowing and harrowing land without sowing it.

FAL'LOW-IST, n.

One who favors the practice of fallowing land. On this subject a controversy has arisen between two sects, the fallowists and the anti-fallowists. [Unusual.] Sinclair.

FAL'LOW-NESS, n.

A fallow state; barrenness; exemption from bearing fruit. Donne.

FALS'A-RY, a. [See False.]

A falsifier of evidence. [Not in use.] Sheldon.

FALSE, a. [L. falsus, from fallo, to deceive; Sp. falso; It. id.; Fr. faux, fausse; Sax. false; D. valsch; G. falsch; Sw. and Dan. falsk; W. fals; Ir. falsa. See Fall and Fail.]

1. Not true; not conformable to fact; expressing what is contrary to that which exists, is done, said or thought. A false report communicates what is not done or said. A false accusation imputes to a person what he has not done or said. A false witness testifies what is not true. A false opinion is not according to truth or fact. The word is applicable to any subject physical or moral.
2. Not well founded; as, a false claim.
3. Not true; not according to the lawful standard; as, a false weight or measure.
4. Substituted for another; succedaneous; supposititious; as, a false bottom.
5. Counterfeit; forged; not genuine; as, false coin; a false bill or note.
6. Not solid or sound; deceiving expectations; as, a false foundation. False and slippery ground. Dryden.
7. Not agreeable to rule or propriety; as, false construction in language.
8. Not honest or just; not fair; as, false play.
9. Not faithful or loyal; treacherous; perfidious; deceitful. The king's subjects may prove false to him. So we say, a false heart.
10. Unfaithful; inconstant; as a false friend; a false lover; false to promises and vows. The husband and wife proved false to each other.
11. Deceitful; treacherous; betraying secrets.
12. Counterfeit; not genuine or real; as, a false diamond.
13. Hypocritical; feigned; made or assumed for the purpose of deception; as, false tears; false modesty. The man appears in false colors. The advocate gave the subject a false coloring. False fire, a blue flame, made by the burning of certain combustibles, in a wooden tube; used as a signal during the night. Mar. Dict. False imprisonment, 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, adv.

Not truly; not honestly; falsely. Shak.

FALSE, v.t.

1. To violate by failure of veracity; to deceive. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. To defeat; to balk; to evade. [Obs.] Spenser

FALSE-FAC-ED, a.

Hypocritical.

FALSE-HEART, or FALSE-HEART-ED, a.

Hollow; treacherous; deceitful; perfidious. Bacon. [The former is not used.]

FALSE-HEART-ED-NESS, n.

Perfidiousness; treachery. Stillingfleet.

FALSE'HOOD, n. [fols'hood; false and hood.]

1. Contrariety or inconformity to fact or truth; as, the falsehood of a report.
2. Want of truth or veracity; a lie; an untrue assertion.
3. Want of honesty; treachery; deceitfulness; perfidy. Milton. But falsehood is properly applied to things only. [See Falseness.]
4. Counterfeit; false appearance; imposture. Milton.

FALSE'LY, adv. [fols'ly.]

1. In a manner contrary to truth and fact; not truly; as, to speak or swear falsely; to testify falsely.
2. Treacherously; perfidiously. Swear to me – that thou wilt not deal falsely with me. Gen. xxi.
3. Erroneously; by mistake. Smallridge.

FALSE'NESS, n. [fols'ness.]

1. Want of integrity and veracity, either in principle or in act; as, the falseness of a man's heart, or his falseness to his word.
2. Duplicity; deceit; double-dealing. Hammond.
3. Unfaithfulness; treachery; perfidy; traitorousness. The prince is in no danger of being betrayed by the falseness, or cheated by the avarice of such a servant. Rogers.

FALS'ER, n.

A deceiver. Spenser.

FAL-SETTE', n. [Fr.]

A false treble in music.

FAL-SET'TO, n. [It.]

That part of a person's voice which lies above its natural compass.

FAL-SET'TO, n. [It.]

A feigned voice. Burke.

FALSI-CRIMEN, n. [Falsi crimen. L.]

A crime of forgery.

FALS'I-FI-A-BLE, a. [from falsify.]

That may be falsified, counterfeited or corrupted. Johnson.

FAL-SI-FI-CA'TION, n. [Fr. from falsifier.]

1. The act of making false; a counterfeiting; the giving to a thing an appearance of something which is not; as, the falsification of words. Hooker.
2. Confutation. Broome.

FALS-I-FI-CA'TOR, n.

A falsifier. Bp. Morton.

FALS'I-FI-ED, pp.

Counterfeited.

FALS'I-FI-ER, n.

1. One who counterfeits, or gives to a thing a deceptive appearance; or one who makes false coin. Boyle.
2. One who invents falsehood; a liar. L'Estrange.
3. One who proves a thing to be false.

FALS'I-FY, v.i.

To tell lies; to violate the truth. It is universally unlawful to lie and falsify. South.

FALS'I-FY, v.t. [Fr. falsifier, from false.]

1. To counterfeit; to forge; to make something false, or in imitation of that which is true; as, to falsify coin. The Irish bards use to falsify every thing. Spenser.
2. To disprove; to prove to be false; as, to falsify a record.
3. To violate; to break by falsehood; as, to falsify one's faith or word. Sidney.
4. To show to be unsound, insufficient, or not proof. [Not in use.] His ample shield is falsified. Dryden.