Feint | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Feint, n.

noun

(fānt), n. [Fr. feinte, from feindre; O. Sp. & It. finta, Pr. fenha, fencha. See supra.]

Sense 1. That which is feigned; an assumed or false appearance; a pretense; a mock or pretended attack.

Courtesy's letter is but a feint to get off. Spectator.

Sense 2. A seeming aim at one part when another is intended to be struck; — said of certain movements in fencing, boxing, and the like.

participial adjective

(fānt), p. a. [Fr. feint, p. p. of feindre. See supra.] Feigned; counterfeit. [Obs.] Locke.

verbintransitive

To make a feint, or mock attack.