machination

American  

[mak-uh-ney-shuhn] / ˌmæk əˈneɪ ʃən /

noun

1. an act or instance of machinating.

2. Usually machinations. crafty schemes; plots; intrigues.

   Synonyms:

   device, stratagem

---

machination British  

/ ˌmæʃ-, ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. an intrigue, plot, or scheme

2. the act of devising plots or schemes

---

Other Word Forms

• antimachination
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of machination

1375–1425; late Middle English machinacion < Latin māchinātiōn- (stem of māchinātiō ). See machinate, -ion

Explanation

When a James Bond villain comes up with a plan to destroy the world, he doesn’t use a simple plan. No, he uses a machination — a complex plot that relies on numerous elements coming together to work. Not surprisingly, machination derives from the Medieval French machina, meaning "machine." And, like many a machine, a machination is subject to going wrong, often comically (see James Bond movies). Politicians love a good machination, and their machinations are frequently exposed in the press as scandals.

Example Sentences

Machination, macrocosm, magisterial, magniloquent, maladroit, malfeasance, malignity, malleable, mandate, matutinal, medieval, mephitic, mercenary, mercurial, meretricious, metamorphose, meticulous, microcosm, misanthropic, misogyny, misprision, mitigate, monitor, mortuary, mundane, mutable.

From The Century Vocabulary Builder by Bachelor, Joseph M. (Joseph Morris)

Related Words

• conspiracy
• intrigue
• ploy
• ruse
• stratagem