faux

Everyday

1. Faux means fake or made to look like the real thing, used mostly for materials such as fur, leather or marble. tree →
2. It is borrowed from French, where «faux» means «false». tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and shopping, «faux fur» and «faux leather» are made without real animals. In design, a «faux finish» makes paint look like wood or stone. «Faux pas» (from French) means an embarrassing mistake in manners. Common phrases: «faux fur», «faux leather», «faux pas», «faux marble».

Examples

• My winter coat has a faux fur hood. tree →
• The sofa is covered in faux leather. tree →
• The pillars look like stone, but they are faux marble. tree →
• Wearing a hat at the dinner table was a faux pas in Grandpa's house. tree →
• Faux fur is kinder to animals than real fur. tree →
• The shop sells faux flowers that never die. tree →
• Her bag is faux snakeskin. tree →

Note

Say «foe» (the x is silent), so it sounds just like «foe» (enemy). It comes before the noun: «faux fur». In French it is an ordinary word for «false»; in English it is used mainly for fashion and decoration. «Faux pas» is said foe-PAH; plural is also «faux pas».