inveigle

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Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day 2 min 1 speaker 4 chapters transcribed 1 month ago
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What is the definition and pronunciation of “inveigle”?

Peter Sokolowski 0:06
It's the word of the day podcast for july twenty ninth. Today's word is Invegal, also sometimes pronounced Invegal and spelled I N V E I G L E Invegal is a verb. To inveigle someone is to persuade them in a clever or deceptive way to do something. Inveigle can also mean to get something in a clever or deceptive way.

How is “inveigle” used in everyday examples and the New Yorker quote?

Peter Sokolowski 0:32
Here's the word used in a sentence from The New Yorker by Julian Lucas. His wayward cousin Freddy constantly invigles him into more serious mischief. It's true that you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you might find you can inveigle someone else into getting it for you. Inveigle, a word that dates from the sixteenth century, is used in situations where someone uses clever talk, trickery, or flattery either to persuade somebody to do something or to obtain something. If you have the morning munchies, for example, but get

When does persuasive trickery become “inveigling” versus a direct demand?

Peter Sokolowski 1:09
No satisfaction from cold cereal, you might invigel a bagel by complimenting a barista, say, or invigle a barista into giving you a bagel. Failed to plan thoroughly for your camping trip? It's not inveigling to demand gimme shelter or you gotta move to someone with a tent you'd like to steal like a thief in the night. Inveigling involves subtle acts of persuasion and sometimes outright trickery. The distinction makes sense given that inveigle comes from the Anglo French verb enveigle, meaning to hoodwink.

What is the etymology of “inveigle” and its historical roots?

Peter Sokolowski 1:44
Its ultimate source is the medieval Latin verb. Ab oculus meaning literally lacking eyes. With your word of the day, I'm Peter Sokolowski. Visit MarionWebster dot com today for definitions, wordplay, and trending word lookups.

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