purported
adjective
[ pəˈpɔːtɪd ]
• appearing or stated to be true, though not necessarily so; alleged.
• "the purported marriage was void"
purport
verb
• appear to be or do something, especially falsely.
• "she is not the person she purports to be"
Similar:
claim,
lay claim,
profess,
pretend,
set oneself up (as),
appear,
seem,
be apparently,
be ostensibly,
pose as,
impersonate,
pass oneself off as,
be disguised as,
masquerade as,
feign the identity of,
pass for,
represent oneself as,
personate,
Origin:
late Middle English (in the sense ‘express, signify’): from Old French purporter, from medieval Latin proportare, from Latin pro- ‘forth’ + portare ‘carry, bear’. The sense ‘appear to be’ dates from the late 18th century.
