stratagem
[ strat-uh-juhm ]
/ ˈstræt ə dʒəm /
noun
a plan, scheme, or trick for surprising or deceiving an enemy.
any artifice, ruse, or trick devised or used to attain a goal or to gain an advantage over an adversary or competitor: business stratagems.
RELATED WORDS
ploy, ruse, one-upmanship, subterfuge, wile, gimmick, brainchild, artifice, scene, twist, proposition, pitch, racket, pretext, plot, story, angle, scheme, method, dodge
Nearby words
Origin of stratagem
1480–90; (< Middle French stratageme) < Italian stratagemma war ruse < Latin stratēgēma < Greek stratḗgēma instance of generalship, derivative of stratēgeîn to be in command, derivative of stratēgós military commander (see strategy)
SYNONYMS FOR stratagem
Related formsstrat·a·gem·i·cal [strat-uh-jem-i-kuhl] /ˌstræt əˈdʒɛm ɪ kəl/, adjectivestrat·a·gem·i·cal·ly, adverb
Can be confusedstratagem strategy
Synonym study
1, 2. See trick.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for stratagem
British Dictionary definitions for stratagem
stratagem
/ (ˈstrætɪdʒəm) /
noun
a plan or trick, esp one to deceive an enemy
Word Origin for stratagem
C15: ultimately from Greek stratēgos a general, from stratos an army + agein to lead
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for stratagem
stratagem
"artifice, trick," late 15c., from Middle French stratagème "trick, especially to outwit an enemy," 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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper