pinch·beck I. \ˈpinchˌbek\noun (-s) Etymology: after Christopher Pinchbeck died 1732 English watchmaker who invented it 1.: an alloy of copper and zinc used especially to imitate gold in cheap jewelry and ordinarily containing 10 to 15 percent of zinc 2.: something that is counterfeit or spurious II. adjective 1.: made of pinchbeck 2.: sham, cheap, spurious < a pinchbeck throne — J.A.Symonds > Synonyms:see counterfeit