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cabal

Etymology and origin of the English word cabal

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Formation
Borrowing
Borrowed from
French cabale

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kəˈbɑːl/, /kəˈbæl/[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French cabale (“cabbala, intrigue, cabal”),[2][3][4] from Medieval Latin cabbala,[2][3][4][5] from Hebrew קַבָּלָה (qabbālāh, “received lore, tradition”).[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Jewish tradition of interpreting the Old Testament, the cabbala (1616).[6][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Because the cabbala was esoteric, the word came to mean any secret tradition, then a secret intrigue (1646–1647), and then a small group of plotters (1660), probably following French usage.[2][4][6] In 1673 it was applied to five ministers of Charles II—Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley and Lauderdale—whose initials spell CABAL.[5] Etymonline says this acronym popularized the word and gave it its sinister tone;[5] the American Heritage Dictionary treats the acronym as a later false etymology, since the plotting sense was already established.[2]

Timeline

  • 1616 – the cabbala (obsolete).[6][4]
  • 1646–1647 – a secret intrigue.[6][2][4]
  • 1660 – a small group engaged in secret intrigue.[6][2][4]
  • 1665 – the committee of Charles II's Privy Council.[6]
  • 1678–1680 – verb, to plot together.[6][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A small group of people secretly plotting, for example against a government.
  2. The schemes of such a group; a secret plot.
  3. A clique, for example in artistic or literary circles.

Verb

  1. To form a cabal; to conspire.

Word family

  • caballer
  • cabbala
  • kabbalah

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  5. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Cabal.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/cabal. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·