Counterfeit has 6 different meanings across 3 categories:
a copy that is represented as the original
"The police confiscated the counterfeit painting, which was sold to an unsuspecting collector as an authentic work by Monet."
A non-genuine article; a fake.
"The police seized a counterfeit hundred-dollar bill that looked almost identical to the real thing until someone pointed out the missing security thread."
make a copy of with the intent to deceive
"he faked the signature"
"they counterfeited dollar bills"
"She forged a Green Card"
To falsely produce what appears to be official or valid; to produce a forged copy of.
"The detective discovered that the gang had been counterfeiting government-issued passports for years."
not genuine; imitating something superior
"counterfeit emotion"
"counterfeit money"
"counterfeit works of art"
"a counterfeit prince"
False, especially of money; intended to deceive or carry appearance of being genuine.
"The police seized a stack of counterfeit bills that were designed to look exactly like genuine currency but failed the security test at the bank teller."
The word "counterfeit" comes from the Latin words contra, meaning "against," and facere, meaning "to make." It originally referred to something made against or in opposition to the original.