intrigue

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɪntɹiːɡ/, /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French intriguer (“to puzzle, plot”),^[2][3][4][5] from Italian intrigare (“to plot, meddle; to entangle”),^{[2][3][4][6][5]} from Latin intrīcāre (“to entangle, perplex”).^{[2][3][4][6][5]} The noun is partly from French intrigue, from Italian intrigo.^[6][5] It is a doublet of intricate, which came into English directly from Latin.^[7] An earlier borrowing, Middle English entriken “to entangle”, is recorded in the late 14th century.^[3][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

As a verb, to trick, deceive or perplex (1612);^[8][6][3][4] as a noun, intricacy or complexity (1656), and secret scheming (1647).^[8][3]

Semantic evolution

From “to perplex” the verb came to mean to carry on a secret love affair (1660)^[8][4] and to plot or scheme (before 1714).^[8][3][4] The noun followed: underhand plotting (1668), a secret plot, and an illicit love affair (1668).^[8][4] It was also used of the plot of a play (1651).^[8] The modern sense, “to arouse the curiosity or interest of”, appeared in 1894 under renewed French influence;^[8][3][4][7] the OED called it “a modern gallicism”.^[8][4]

Timeline

• 1612 – verb, to trick, perplex.^[8][3]
• 1647 – noun, secret scheming.^[3][8]
• 1660 – verb, to carry on a secret love affair.^[8]
• 1668 – noun, an illicit liaison.^[8]
• before 1714 – verb, to plot.^[8][3]
• 1894 – to arouse the curiosity of.^[8][3]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A secret or underhand scheme; a plot or machination.
2. The practice of engaging in such schemes.
3. A clandestine love affair.

Verb

1. To arouse the interest or curiosity of; to fascinate.
2. To engage in secret or underhand schemes; to plot.
3. To bring about or obtain by intrigue.

Word family

• intriguer
• intriguingly
• outintrigue

Related words

• intricacy
• intricate
• intriguing
• extricate
• trick

Usage notes

The sense “to arouse the interest of” was at first resisted by usage writers as an unneeded French substitute for interest, fascinate or puzzle, but it is now well established.^[2] 78 percent of the AHD Usage Panel accepted it in the early 1990s, against 52 percent in a 1968 survey.^[2]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b Cresswell, Julia (2021), Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press