Dictionary.com
definitions

RELATED CONTENT

silk roadRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

pretender, plagiarist, paperhanger

Nearby words

  1. countereconomy,
  2. counterespionage,
  3. counterexample,
  4. counterextension,
  5. counterfactual,
  6. counterfeiting,
  7. counterfoil,
  8. counterforce,
  9. counterfort,
  10. counterglow

Origin of counterfeit

1250–1300; (adj.) Middle English countrefet false, forged < Anglo-French cuntrefet, Old French contrefait, past participle of conterfere to copy, imitate, equivalent to conter- counter- + fere to make, do ≪ Latin facere (see fact); (v.) Middle English countrefeten, verbal derivative of countrefet
SYNONYMS FOR counterfeit
1. spurious, bogus. See false. 2. sham, feigned, simulated, fraudulent; mock, fake, ersatz. 3. falsification, sham. 7. copy; falsify.
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR counterfeit ON THESAURUS.COM
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for counterfeiter

British Dictionary definitions for counterfeiter

counterfeit

adjective

made in imitation of something genuine with the intent to deceive or defraud; forged
simulated; shamcounterfeit affection

noun

an imitation designed to deceive or defraud
archaic an impostor; cheat

verb

(tr) to make a fraudulent imitation of
(intr) to make counterfeits
to feign; simulate
(tr) to imitate; copy
Derived Formscounterfeiter, noun

Word Origin for counterfeit

C13: from Old French contrefait, from contrefaire to copy, from contre- counter- + faire to make, from Latin facere
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for counterfeiter

counterfeit

v.

late 13c., from Old French contrefait "imitated" (Modern French contrefait), past participle of contrefaire "imitate," from contre- "against" (see contra-) + faire "to make, to do" (from Latin facere; see factitious). Medieval Latin contrafactio meant "setting in opposition or contrast." Related: Counterfeited; counterfeiting. The noun and adjective are from late 14c.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper