WORD NERDS: I won’t dissemble the meaning of this word

By Barbara McAllister

Word of the Day: Dissemble

You know that “resemble” means to look the same. “Dissemble,” from the same root, means the opposite. It means to conceal or disguise.
The Old French word, sembler, “to seem” originally comes from the Latin similaris, similar. The prefix “dis” means a removal or invalidation. So to dissemble means to create a false impression. To call someone a dissembler is a nice way to call them a liar.
My friend Nora frequently dissembles on Facebook. When we took a trip to Key West last year, she gushed online about the fabulous time we had. No mention of lost luggage, cancelled flights or the insect infestation in the too-small room. She posted that she was “steeping herself in the local history!!”
I’m not sure how much local history she absorbed by the poolside tiki bar where she actually spent most of her time, but she certainly steeped herself in rum mojitos. She did manage the prerequisite swimming with dolphins and uploaded a picture on Facebook of herself with the dolphin, both sharing an identical inebriated grin. Although she labeled the picture “AWESOME TIME!!!” I doubt she actually remembers it. Her real memento of the experience was a full body rash caused by the filthy water in the dolphin pool, which necessitated a late night trip to the emergency room and an overpriced tube of ointment for the angry itch.
Speaking of angry, I dissemble if I say Nora and I are still on speaking terms.