INVEIGLE

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Dr. Goodword
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INVEIGLE

Postby Dr. Goodword » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:37 pm

• inveigle •

Pronunciation: in-vay-gêl • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Verb, transitive

Meaning: 1. Cajole or lure into doing something, to persuade using questionable tactics. 2. To obtain by cajoling or persuasion based on questionable tactics.

Notes: Today's word contains a superfluous I in its midst that is easy to overlook. This is the only caveat we have for inveigle. The person who inveigles is an inveigler up to inveiglement. There is not much else to say about this word.

In Play: From the Meaning above, we see that the sense of this word roves from inveigling people to inveigling things from people. Inveigling people goes something like this: "I don't know how I allowed May O'Naise inveigle me into preparing a seven-course meal for her but I'll never cook more than five courses for her again!" Inveigling things is slightly different: "I don't know how I let May O'Naise inveigle a seven-course meal from me but I'll never cook more than five courses for her again!" Either approach is fine.

Word History: Today's Good Word entered Middle English (1066-1485) as envegle "to win over by deceit, seduce", an alteration of Old French aveugler "to blind". The French verb is based on the adjective aveugle "blind, sightless", a descendant of Vulgar (Street) Latin *aboculus "blind" from Latin Latin ab "away from" + oculus "eye". It is probably a loan-translation of Gaulish exsops "blind" made up of exs "from" + ops "eye". Latin oculus turns up in several borrowed English words, such as ocular and the well-known two-eyed binoculars. In Old Norse the same root emerged as auga "eye". English borrowed the Old Norse vindauga "wind-eye" and honed it down over the years to the window it is today.
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gailr
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Re: INVEIGLE

Postby gailr » Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:09 am

In Old Norse the same root emerged as auga "eye".
This caught my eye and I wondered about auger. However, there is no use inveigling an augury from the same root as predictions are drawn from aug (to increase).

On the other hand, auger (mechanical) derives from nobh- (navel, hub of a wheel).

-gailr
inveigle was another one of my dad's words...

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Postby Perry » Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:53 am

Well an augur might try to inveigle, but put an auger into the heart of a discussion and that should put an end to things.
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Postby Stargzer » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:04 am

I first heard this word as a child back in the early-to-mid-60s in the fifth line of the first verse of Flanders and Swann's Have Some Madeira M'Dear as sung by The Limeliters. The definition was apparent from its use. :wink:
Regards//Larry

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callcopse
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Flanders and Swann

Postby callcopse » Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:09 am

I have not heard that song in years 'Have some Madeira m'dear'. Most nostalgically entertaining.

Also leads on to another mildly archaic word that has a few homographs too -'topes'. I had forgotten that was in the song.

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Postby Bailey » Wed Jun 13, 2007 12:35 pm

and here I sit with my funky cold Medeira.

mark not-as-funky-as-medina Bailey

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