guile
[ gahyl ]
/ gaɪl /
noun
insidious cunning in attaining a goal; crafty or artful deception; duplicity.
QUIZZES
DISCOVER THE INFLUENCE OF PORTUGUESE ON ENGLISH VIA THIS QUIZ!
We’ve gathered some interesting words donated to English from Portuguese … as well as some that just don’t translate at all. Do you know what they mean?
Question 1 of 11
Which of the following animal names traces its immediate origin to Portuguese?
Origin of guile
1175–1225; Middle English <Old French <Germanic; akin to wile
synonym study for guile
See duplicity.
Words nearby guile
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for guile
British Dictionary definitions for guile
guile
/ (ɡaɪl) /
noun
clever or crafty character or behaviour
Derived forms of guile
guileful, adjectiveguilefully, adverbguilefulness, nounWord Origin for guile
C18: from Old French guile, of Germanic origin; see wile
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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