Spread by Luther; origin unsettled. Probably from Middle Low German hüchelen (whence Danish hykle and Swedish hyckla), which may be akin to Old English hīewian. Older theories are based on Central German origin and relate the word to either hauchen (“to aspirate, to whisper”) or hocken (“to be bowed, to sit”). Compare Dutch huichelen (borrowed from German).
heucheln (weak, third-person singular present heuchelt, past tense heuchelte, past participle geheuchelt, auxiliary haben)
| infinitive | heucheln | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | heuchelnd | ||||
| past participle | geheuchelt | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| singular | plural | singular | plural | ||
| present | ich heuchle ich heuchele ich heuchel |
wir heucheln | i | ich heuchele ich heuchle |
wir heucheln |
| du heuchelst | ihr heuchelt | du heuchelest du heuchlest |
ihr heuchelet ihr heuchlet | ||
| er heuchelt | sie heucheln | er heuchele er heuchle |
sie heucheln | ||
| preterite | ich heuchelte | wir heuchelten | ii | ich heuchelte1 | wir heuchelten1 |
| du heucheltest | ihr heucheltet | du heucheltest1 | ihr heucheltet1 | ||
| er heuchelte | sie heuchelten | er heuchelte1 | sie heuchelten1 | ||
| imperative | heuchle (du) heuchel (du) heuchele (du) |
heuchelt (ihr) | |||
1Rare except in very formal contexts; alternative in würde normally preferred.