the.com/guise

means An outward appearance or pretense that conceals someone's true identity or nature — a disguise without the 'dis.'

from From Old French 'guise,' meaning manner or style, itself from a Germanic root related to 'wise' (as in 'likewise' or 'otherwise') — the same word family that gives us 'way of doing things.' English borrowed it in the Middle Ages, and the related 'disguise' later tacked on the prefix 'dis-' to emphasize a change or covering-up of that manner. So 'guise' alone has always meant simply the fashion or appearance something takes — the sneaky sense comes from context, not the word's bones.