fingere

Fingere is a Latin verb that primarily means to shape or form, and by extension to fashion, devise, or contrive. In addition to its literal sense of making something physical, fingere is widely used in figurative contexts to imagine, design plans, or feign appearances—giving rise to senses such as to pretend or to feign.

In Latin grammar, fingere is a third-conjugation verb. Its principal parts are fingō, fingis, fingit, fingimus, fingitis, fingunt; infinitive fingere; perfect finxī; supine fictum; and the perfect passive participle fictus. The verb yields various figurative meanings, including feigning a sentiment or fabricating a story, not just shaping material objects.

Classical authors use fingere across a spectrum of meanings. Physical shaping can appear in descriptions of crafting weapons or statues, while mental formulation appears in expressions for forming intentions or plans. The sense of deception is common in rhetoric and narrative, where a character or speaker may fingere an emotion or a truth.

Etymology and influence: fingere is the ancestor of the English verb feign, through Old French feindre, and of the noun fiction, from Latin fictio, both linked to the notion of making or shaping a representation. Related English derivatives include fictitious and fictional, reflecting the feigning or invented sense carried by fingere.

See also: feign, fiction, fictitious, fictio.