menistenleugen

Dutch

Alternative forms
  • mennistenleugen

Etymology

Compound of menist (“Mennonite”) +‎ -en- +‎ leugen (“lie”). In reference to untruthful statements by Mennonites to escape from the Spanish-initiated inquisition during the sixteenth century; Mennonites were the primary victims of the inquisition in the Habsburg-ruled Low Countries.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /məˈnɪs.tə(n)ˌløː.ɣə(n)/, /meːˈnɪs.tə(n)ˌløː.ɣə(n)/, /mɛˈnɪs.tə(n)ˌløː.ɣə(n)/
  • Hyphenation: me‧nis‧ten‧leu‧gen

Noun

menistenleugen f (plural menistenleugens, diminutive menistenleugentje n)

  1. A tactical half-truth or ambiguous statement to deceive one's audience and save one's skin. [from 19th c.]
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.