To hide or conceal one's true feelings, thoughts, or intentions; to pretend or disguise.
From Latin dissimulare, from dis- (opposite) + simulare (to make like, feign). The prefix dis- reverses the meaning of simulare, so it literally means 'to make unlike' or 'to feign the opposite.'
This word is the ancestor of the English 'dissemble,' and was especially popular in Renaissance literature as a sneaky courtier's skill—hiding your true thoughts while smiling was considered an art form!
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