tartuffe, a name invented by molière, and now adopted in all the languages of europe to signify hypocrites, who make use of the cloak of religion. “he is a tartuffe; he is a true tartuffe.” tartuferie, a new word formed from tartuffe — the action of a hypocrite, the behavior of a hypocrite, the knavery of a false devotee; it is often used in the disputes concerning the bull unigenitus.