stratagem
pronunciation
How to pronounce stratagem in British English:
UK [ˈstrætədʒəm]
How to pronounce stratagem in American English:
US [ˈstrætədʒəm]
-
- Noun:
- a maneuver in a game or conversation
- an elaborate or deceitful scheme contrived to deceive or evade
Word Origin
- stratagem (n.)
- "artifice, trick," late 15c., from Middle French strattegeme, stratagème "trick, especially to outwit an enemy" (15c.), from Italian stratagemma, from Latin strategema "artifice, stratagem," from Greek strategema "the act of a general; military stratagem," from strategein "to be a general, command," from strategos "general" (see strategy). Related: Stratagematic; stratagemical. The second -a- is a Romanic misspelling (compare Spanish estratagema).
Example
- 1. Republicans in colorado may come to regret the 11th-hour stratagem .
- 2. When guido westerwelle stumbles , his usual stratagem is to pretend nothing happened .
- 3. As time passes , the giddy elation you felt at first , at the brilliance of your stratagem , begins eroding into shame .
- 4. It never occurred to me that , several years later , in order to explore the saco myth , I would be so determined to meet li hua in person that I had to deploy a stratagem involving an innocently conspiring american friend .
- 5. But I do know that in their shoes , what I would have done , particularly bearing in mind that such commodity leasing is a perfectly legitimate financing stratagem that has been in routine use in the precious metals and base metal markets for a very long time indeed .