pretext en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈpɹiːtɛkst/
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Latin praetextum (“an ornament, etc., wrought in front, a pretense”), neuter of praetextus, past participle of praetexere (“to weave before, fringe or border, allege”).
Meanings
-
A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense.
When that metaphor proves untenable, he switches to insisting that women are like beer but that’s mainly as a pretext to drink until he passes out in a father-son bonding haze.
2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “The Simpsons (Classic): ‘New Kid on the Block’ [season 4, episode 8; originally aired 12 November 1992]”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2020:[T]hey would ſay [...] that I had quarrell'd / My brother purpoſely, thereby to finde / An apt pretext, to baniſh them my houſe.
1598, Beniamin Ionson [i.e., Ben Jonson], “Euery Man in His Humour. A Comœdie. […]”, in The Workes of Beniamin Ionson (First Folio), London: […] Will[iam] Stansby, published 1616, →OCLC, Act II, scene i, page 21:The reporter called the company on the pretext of trying to resolve a consumer complaint.
On every kind of pretext she would run away from work [...]
1943 November – 1944 February (date written; published 1945 August 17), George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], Animal Farm […], London: Secker & Warburg, published May 1962, →OCLC:"After all," said the Chevalier, "these portraits—Madame de I'Hôpital's fortune-telling—the pleasure we take in a lover or a physician—may all be referred to the same cause,—we do so enjoy talking about ourselves; and yet we feel some sort of excuse necessary. It must be admitted, that we are ready in pretexts."
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter VII, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume II, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 69:The smallest incidents were to serve as pretexts for demonstrations of force and for demands for indemnities and reparations which increased China's subjection.
1996, Jacques Gernet, translated by J. R. Foster and Charles Hartman, A History of Chinese Civilization, 2nd edition, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 580:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| pretexts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
Relateds
Synonyms
plea · pretext · canard · stall · excuse · pretension · pretense · alibi · zhuangbility
Translations (94)
de fadenscheinige Begründung (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · be адмо́ўка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nb påskott (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sl pretveza (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · mi takutakunga (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ja 口実 (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · hy պատրվակ (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · fr prétexte (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sv förevändning (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ca pretext (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · hu kifogás (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ru по́вод (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ru отгово́рка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de Scheingrund (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · az bəhanə (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de Deckmantel (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · es pretexto (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ar ذَرِيعَة (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sh и̏згово̄р (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · be адгаво́рка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nn påskot (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · el πρόφαση (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · cs výmluva (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sk zámienka (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · scn scaciuni (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · uk за́чіпка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · fi veruke (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · grc πρόφασις (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ky шылтоо (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · mk изговор (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · be зачэ́пка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · uk при́ключка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de Vorwand (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · cy esgus (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de angeblicher Grund (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ru предло́г (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · gd leisgeul (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · be падста́ва (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · la praetextum (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de Ausrede (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · got 𐌹𐌽𐌹𐌻𐍉 (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · is yfirskin (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · bg прете́кст (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nn påskott (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de vorgespiegelter Grund (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · grc σκῆψις (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nl drogreden (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · he תירוץ (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · cmn 借口 (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · vi cớ (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · da påskud (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · es callejuela (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · mhr амал (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · fa بهانه (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nb påskudd (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nl pretext (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · fa دستاویز (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · be адгаво́р (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · pt pretexto (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · it pretesto (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · txb ṣewi (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · bg извине́ние (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · uk при́від (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nl schijnreden (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ota قولپ (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nl voorwendsel (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de Prätext (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · uk відмо́вка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · mi takunga (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · mnc ᡶᡳᡴᡨᡠ (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · hu ürügy (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · nl dekmantel (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · it scusante (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sv svepskäl (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · cs záminka (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ko 핑계 (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · eo preteksto (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · pl wymówka (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sh и̏злика (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de Schein (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sk výhovorka (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · el πρόσχημα (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sa अपदेश (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · fi tekosyy (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · ar عُذْر (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · uk ви́мовка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · fa عذر (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sh ȉzlika (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · de Ausflucht (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · uk при́чіпка (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · sh ȉzgovōr (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · grc μύνη (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · mi takunetanga (false, contrived or assumed purpose) · pl pretekst (false, contrived or assumed purpose)