Dendrochronology

The fourteenth entry is o falso anel, and the adjective in front of it is the place where English has to choose and Portuguese does not. Falso covers the whole field on its own: um documento falso, um sorriso falso, uma pérola falsa, uma falsa modéstia. English divides that field among five words, and every one of them has drawn a border. « False » is the scientific and structural one, and it accuses nobody: a « false ring », a « false start », « false teeth », « a false ceiling ». « Fake » does accuse, because a « fake painting » was made to deceive and « a fake » is a forgery. « Mock » is announced in advance, as in « a mock exam ». « Dummy » never worked to begin with, as in « a dummy run ». And « faux », borrowed back from French, has settled on materials and on manners: « faux fur », « faux modesty ». So the ring of this list can only be « a false ring ». The tree deceived nobody. It simply laid down a second boundary in one summer.