Meaning

noun a claimant to the throne or to the office of ruler (usually without just title)

noun a person who makes deceitful pretenses

noun a person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives

originEtymology tree Proto-Indo-European *per- Proto-Indo-European *preh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-i Proto-Indo-European *préh₂i? Proto-Italic *prai Proto-Italic *prai- Latin prae- Proto-Indo-European *ten- Proto-Indo-European *tend-der. Proto-Italic *tendō Latin tendō Latin praetendōbor. Anglo-Norman pretendreder. English pretend Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzijos Latin -āriusnom. Latin…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0