perfidious (adj.)

"faithless, basely treacherous," 1590s, from Latin perfidiosus "treacherous," from perfidia "faithlessness" (see perfidy). Related: Perfidiously; perfidiousness.

The treacherous man either betrays the confidence that is reposed in him, or lures another on to harm by deceitful appearances; as, the treacherous signals of the wrecker. The perfidious man carries treachery to the basest extreme: he betrays acknowledged and accepted obligations, and even the most sacred relationships and claims: as, Benedict Arnold and Judas are types of perfidy. [Century Dictionary, 1895]

also from 1590s

Entries linking to perfidious

perfidy (n.)

"breach of faith or trust, base treachery," 1590s, from French perfidie (16c.), from Latin perfidia "faithlessness, falsehood, treachery," from perfidus "faithless," from phrase per fidem decipere "to deceive through trustingness," from per "through" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + fidem (nominative fides) "faith" (from PIE root *bheidh- "to trust, confide, persuade").

[C]ombinations of wickedness would overwhelm the world by the advantage which licentious principles afford, did not those who have long practiced perfidy grow faithless to each other. [Samuel Johnson, "Life of Waller"]

Trends of perfidious

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Punic

"pertaining to or characteristic of Carthage or Carthaginians," 1530s, from Latin Punicus, earlier Poenicus "Carthaginian," originally "Phoenician" (adj.), Carthage having been founded as a Phoenician colony, from Poenus (n.), from Greek Phoinix "Phoenician" (see Phoenician). As

Albion

Perfidious Albion, a reference to the supposedly treacherous policies of Britain when dealing with foreign powers, translates...

sinister

In reference to persons, "deceitful, perfidious," from late 15c....

apt

mid-14c., "inclined, disposed;" late 14c., "suited, fitted, adapted, possessing the necessary qualities for the purpose," from Old French ate "fitting, suitable, appropriate" (13c., Modern French apte), or directly from Latin aptus "fit, suited, proper, appropriate," adjectival u

ordeal

Old English ordel, ordal, "trial by physical test," literally "judgment, verdict," from Proto-Germanic noun *uz-dailjam "a portioning out, judgment" (source also of Old Saxon urdeli, Old Frisian urdel, Dutch oordeel, German urteil "judgment"), literally "that which is dealt out"

posthumous

mid-15c., posthumus, "born after the death of the originator" (author or father), from Late Latin posthumus, from Latin postumus "last," especially "last-born," superlative of posterus "coming after, subsequent" (see posterior). Altered in Late Latin by association with Latin hum

machine

1540s, "structure of any kind," from Middle French machine "device, contrivance," from Latin machina "machine, engine, military machine; device, trick; instrument" (source also of Spanish maquina, Italian macchina), from Greek makhana, Doric variant of Attic mēkhanē "device, tool

abstract

late 14c., originally in grammar (in reference to nouns that do not name concrete things), from Latin abstractus "drawn away," past participle of abstrahere "to drag away, detach, pull away, divert," also used figuratively; from assimilated form of ab "off, away from" (see ab-) +

tribe

mid-13c., "one of the twelve divisions of the ancient Hebrews," from Old French tribu or directly from Latin tribus "one of the three political/ethnic divisions of the original Roman state" (Tites, Ramnes, and Luceres, corresponding, perhaps, to the Latins, Sabines, and Etruscans

fortune

c. 1300, "chance, luck as a force in human affairs," from Old French fortune "lot, good fortune, misfortune" (12c.), from Latin fortuna "chance, fate, good luck," from fors (genitive fortis) "chance, luck," possibly ultimately from PIE root *bher- (1) "to carry," also "to bear ch

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updated on March 30, 2020

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Dictionary entries near perfidious

perfection

perfectionist

perfective

perfectly

perfervid

perfidious

perfidy

perforate

perforation

perforce

perform