# perfidy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɜː.fɪ.di/ · frequency rank #92,993

## Definitions
1. A state or act of violating faith or allegiance; violation of a promise or vow, or of trust.
2. An illegitimate act of deception, such as using symbols like the Red Cross or white flag in a false claim of surrender to gain proximity to an enemy for purposes of attack.
3. A state or act of deceit.

## Etymology
From Middle French perfidie, from Latin perfidia from perfidus (“faithless, treacherous, false”), from fides (“faith”); related to, for example, English fidelity.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/perfidy