Faux
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Faux (pronounced as foe) is a French word for fake. It is often used in English to attribute an upscale sound to the naming of a cheaper look alike. Ex: Faux Pearls, Faux Furs, etc.
When manufacturing faux objects or materials, an attempt is usually made to create products which will resemble the imitated items as closely as possible. However, the reverse (ie. intentionally making them look "faux") is also known, for instance with some faux furs, where it is anticipated that prospective buyers want their fur to be recognizable as faux fur, due to controversy over the use and manufacture of real animal furs.
Faux materials are produced in a variety of ways, for example Faux-Marble (such as Terrazzo and Scagliola) is generally made with marble dust in a plaster binder, yielding a hard material that will take a polish. To imitate marbles, porphyry, and other stones, 'faux finishes' are often painted using spatterdash, sponging and feather-streaking techniques on gessoed and painted surfaces.
Faux is also used in English in the borrowed French phrase faux pas (literally false step) as in a misstep or more usually a social gaffe.
Finally, Faux is the name of several communes in France:
- Faux, in the Ardennes département
- Faux, in the Dordogne département