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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 1951 (DOST Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Fenȝe, Feinȝe, v. Also: fenyhe, feneȝe, -iȝe; feynȝe, feyn-, feinȝie, finȝe, -ȝie; fengȝe, -ȝie, feinge, feynge, feingȝe, -ye, feangȝie. [Early ME. feinyhe (a 1300 and rare; ME. usually feyne), OF. feign-, var. stem of feindre, L. fingere.]

1. tr. To display or show falsely; to pretend. 1375 Barb. i. 344.
Catone sayis ws, … To fenyhe foly quhile is wyt Ib. v. 622.
Quhen the king saw he vald … ay cum on, fenȝeand falset c1400 Troy-bk. ii. 2014.
Cletemistra … Fenȝeand faire chere, met him rycht swyth a1500 Gol. & Gaw. 1187.
We wil na fauour here fenye to frende nor to fa a1500 Seven S. 1067.
He thocht the caus for till aspy, And sparit the wyne, & fenȝeit slepe c1500-c1512 Dunb. lx. 61.
Ane pykthank … Fenȝeing the feris off ane lord 1513 Doug. i. xi. 42.
As Cupyd hyngis about Eneas hals, … fenȝeand luf full fals 1531 Bell. Boece I. 67.
Cadall herand this consolatioun … fenyeit all the cheir he micht 1533 Boece v. iii. 168 b.
He feneȝit seiknes 1596 Dalr. I. 21/20.
Beȝonde the water, thay finȝie a dwble passage Ib. II. 59/6.
Sche finȝies the cause of her cuming 1649 Cupar Presb. 143.
He went to Marjory Winster, who seemed to him to dissemble and feinȝie madnesse

b. With objective clause. a1400 Leg. S. xxix. 207.
He … skalyt his men here & thare Fenȝeand he wist thare gammyn ware

2. refl. (with appositive complement or infinitive.) To pretend to be or do something.(1) a1400 Leg. S. xxxi. 319.
Thane fenȝeit scho hir sek & sare c1420 Wynt. vi. 913.
He come rynnand … And fenyheyd hym a sympill knycht a1500 Prestis of Peblis 470.
He feinȝeit him ane fule fond in his feiris 1533 Boece v. xi. 175 b.
Sum Britan noblis … feynȝeing thame boyndis … revelit thare dissymulacioun 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 221.
It is to be notit, that my lord Harreis fenȝeit himself seik 1600 Hamilton Facile Tr. 413.
Ane … with whome he contractit for a piece of money to fenȝie him self daid(2) a1400 Leg. S. xviii. 372.
To prayin thi sicht me fenȝeand Ib. xix. 355.
Thai … fenȝeit thame prayere to mak c1420 Wynt. v. 434.
A Romane … gat on that senyhe That Bretownys bare; syn can he fenyhe Hym a Brettowne for to be Ib. vii. 72.
Fenyhe thé nowcht to fulfille … thi purpos 1456 Hay II. 97/13.
Fenȝe thé till have maid sum exces c1515 Asl. MS. I. 265/19.
He fenȝeit himself to depart hamwart 1513 Doug. xiii. Prol. 133.
Fenȝeand hym Iherom to contyrfeit 1560 Rolland Seven S. 7070.
Fenȝeing him self to haue ane seiklie cors 1562-3 Winȝet II. 42/35.
Nocht that He be imitatioun schew or finȝeit Him to be man a1578 Pitsc. I. 16/4.
Thaie thewis and brigganes feinȝeit thame to be of the uther factioun c1615 Chron. Kings 25.
Heaffand perswadit twa of his natioun to feangȝie thame selffis to be Scottis c1650 Spalding II. 159.
He leaves him in his troubles … , fengȝeing him self to be seik

b. To dissimulate. a1400 Leg. S. l. 809.
The king wald than na mare hym feynge Bot sad till him [etc.]

3. tr. To devise or invent fictitiously; to imagine. c1420 Wynt. ii. 425.
Thai fenyhe that tyme he mad men, For causse he gert thaim craftis ken c1460 Thewis Wysmen 388.
Thai fynd sone fautis to thar frend And fenȝeis caus to be vnkind 1490 Irland Mir. 180 b.
He … fanȝeis to him in his fantasy a thing impossible c1500-c1512 Dunb. xiv. 77.
So few witty, that weill can fabillis fenȝe 1533 Bell. Livy I. 18/18.
It is fenȝeit be poetis that thir barnis war nurist be ane wolf Ib. 266/10.
Feneȝeand … that inemyis war enterit in the capitoll 1585 Cath. Tr. 69/28.
The Gentiles feingyeit that oure lord head writin some epistles 1585 James VI Ess. 75.
Harpyes, … whome the poets feynȝeis to represent theuis 1596 Highland P. I. 190.
I … subtille inventit and fenyeit ane conspiracie to haif bein interprysit

4. To counterfeit or forge. c1420 Wynt. viii. 1795.
Thai fenyhyd armys off Scotland, As thai kend lordis thaim berand c1475 Wall. vi. 401.
Sen thow has fenȝeit armys, On thé sall fall the fyrst part off thir harmys 1508 Reg. Privy S. I. 238/1.
He dredis that the stelaris of it … has fenȝeit and maid fals lettrez … under his said sele 1519 Edinb. B. Rec. I. 191.
Becaus thare is diuers traytouris … that has strikin and cunyeit plakkis, fenyeing our cunye 1544 Ib. II. 115.
That nane tak vpoun hand to mak or feynyie the said mark and stowpis 1698 St. A. Presb. 100.
He wrote back a letter … shewing … that she had feignied that testimonial

b. To disguise. 1569-73 Bann. Mem. 233.
David Ramsay … perceaved tuo men in the hous … disaguysed, whome he persavit to be feinyiet

5. intr. To make pretence; to speak or act deceptively or falsely. a1400 Leg. S. vi. 54.
As thai vald the kingis dedenȝe Eschev, na manne suld fenȝe c1515 Asl. MS. I. 200/22.
Quhen the said Herold was drevyn in Normondy aganis his will, he fenȝeit and said he come for mariage c1500-c1512 Dunb. Flyt. 137.
Mater annwch I haiff, I bid nocht fenȝie Id. Tua Mar. W. 343.
I had for flattering of that fule feinȝeit so lang 1513 Doug. i. Prol. 476.
Thocht I be lewit, my leill hart can nocht fenȝe 1535 Stewart 51834.
He sat … Feinȝeing richt far with ane blyth countenance 15.. Clar. i. 124.
Trest weill, Lady, that now I feinȝe nocht c1590 J. Stewart 36/222.
Thocht thay do flatter for ane space and fengȝie 1595 Duncan App. Etym.
Elysium, a pleasant fielde quhair gude mens soules dwelle after their death; as poets fenȝeis

b. To pretend to do something. a1400 Leg. S. xii. 79.
Fenȝet scho a quhyl to ly, As scho with barne had bene hewy a1540 Freiris Berw. 264.
He … fillit ane cop and feniȝet to be blyth c1500-c1512 Dunb. xxii. 17.
The pyet … Fenȝeis to sing the nychtingalis not 1533 Boece xv. vi. 583 b.
Thai fenȝeit to fle till ane hill 1560 Rolland Seven S. 9842.
Tell me the treuth … And fenȝe not to tell to me this thing a1605 Montg. Misc. P. xlii. 8.
I wald only haif ȝou … let me tak it, fenȝeing to refuse