belie

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 9, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>belie</strong> &#149; \bih-LYE\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>1 a :</strong> to give a false impression of</p> <p><strong>b :</strong> to present an appearance not in agreement with</p> <p><strong>2 a :</strong> to show (something) to be false or wrong</p> <p><strong>b :</strong> to run counter to <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contradict">contradict</a></p> <p><strong>3 :</strong> to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obscure#h2">obscure</a> the existence or true state or character of <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disguise">disguise</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>Martin's easy banter and relaxed attitude <em>belied</em> his nervousness.</p> <p>"But his humble presence <em>belies</em> the adventurous life that brought him through World War II and multiple attempts at sailing around the world." — <a href="https://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/article247891645.html">Alejandra Garcia, <em>The Sacramento (California) Bee</em>, 21 Dec. 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>"What is a lie?" asked Lord Byron in <em>Don Juan</em>. He then answered himself: "'Tis but the truth in masquerade...." The history of <em>belie</em> illustrates a certain connection between lying and disguising. In Old English, <em>belie</em> meant "to deceive by lying," and, in time, was used to mean "to tell lies about," taking on a sense similar to that of the modern word <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slander">slander</a></em>. Eventually, its meaning softened, shifting from an act of outright lying to one of mere misrepresentation, and by the early 1700s, the word was being used in the sense "to disguise or conceal." Nowadays,