Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Word FaQ

What is the difference between dissemble and disassemble?

Disassemble means 'to take something apart'. You can see that the word can be split into a prefix dis- and the root assemble. An example usage is: She disassembled the Lego creation.

Dissemble means 'to alter or change the appearance of in order to deceive or conceal; to misrepresent or pretend'.

This word's etymology is trickier: it may be a form of dissimule, which means 'to alter the semblance of in order to deceive or conceal'. So, the breakdown of dissemble is dis- and the root semble, or 'appear, seem'. An example usage of this word is: We heard the dissembled tone of fear in the stewardess’ voice as she told us to stay calm.

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