Noun

1. A word in a foreign language bearing a deceptive resemblance to a word in one's own language.

Usage notes

• Examples:
  • The French nous demandons means "we ask", but sounds like "we demand", which can turn negotiation into confrontation.
  • The Spanish word embarazada means "pregnant", not "embarrassed" — "Estoy embarazada" means "I am pregnant", not "I am embarrassed".
  • The German word will (want) is not a future tense marker — "Ich will gehen" means "I want to go", not "I will go".
    • Same for Dutch, "Ik wil gaan" means "I want to go".
  • The Italian word triviale (vulgar) is written almost like trivial, but the two words share only a common Latin root (trivium in Latin means crossroad) and no longer any meaning; "Questo è triviale" means "This is in bad taste", not "This is obvious".