mendacious (adj.)
Pronunciation: men-'dey-shês
Definition: Lying or untruthful.
Simple. A mitigating, Latinate form for a harsh criticism. Mendacity is its noun, opaquity its renown. (Oh, I just wanted to rhyme something...and use the word "opaquity.") It's from Latin (mendacium - a lie; mendax, mendacis - lying, deceitful) and Middle French (mendaciuex). The root, mend-, originally meant "physical defect, fault," radiating in general meaning to mean "fault, defect, carelessness in writing." The adjective was first (1616) - thirty years later, a noun.
Incidentally (which seems to be my favorite word of recent), a mendicant is a beggar. Different Latin words, but same basic root - "fault, physical defect."
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