stratagème

Forms

stratagème m (plural stratagèmes)^[1] Middle French strategemmate (1372), strategeme (1440) and stratagemate (1532, Rabelais), then stratagème (1564).^[2][3][4] The word was feminine in 1503 (Jean d'Auton) and masculine by 1566 (Henri Estienne).^[2][5]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin strategema (“stratagem, ruse of war”), which is from Ancient Greek στρατήγημα (stratḗgēma, “military manoeuvre, ruse of war”),^[2][5][6][1] from στρατηγέω (stratēgéō, “to command an army”), itself from στρατηγός (stratēgós, “army commander”), the source of stratège.^[5][4] The etymological form was strategeme.^[5] The second ⟨a⟩ of the modern form comes from assimilation of the second vowel to the ⟨a⟩ of the first syllable.^[5][6][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record is strategemmate in Denis Foulechat's 1372 translation of John of Salisbury's Policraticus.^[2][4] The TLFi reads it as “ruse of war”, while Rey and the GLLF find its sense unclear.^[2][5][4]

Semantic evolution

The form strategeme appears in 1440 in the title of Jean de Rovroy's translation of Frontinus, Le Livre des strategemes.^[2][5] Rabelais's plural stratagemates (1532) may be a joke on the title of Frontinus's work, or a mock-Greek plural.^[5] Henri Estienne still felt it as a recent Greek word: Stratageme, puisque ce mot grec depuis quelque temps a trouvé lieu au langage françois “stratagem, since this Greek word has for some time found a place in the French language”.^[7]

The original military sense, “ruse of war”, is now dated.^[2][3][5] The general sense of a clever, well-planned trick is dated 1574 by the GLLF and the Grand Robert.^[4][3] Rey dates it from 1440.^[5] It is the usual sense today, in a formal or written style.^[4][3][5]

Timeline

• 1372 – Strategemmate appears in Denis Foulechat's translation of the Policraticus.^[2][4]
• 1440 – Jean de Rovroy entitles his translation of Frontinus Le Livre des strategemes.^[2]
• 1503 – Jean d'Auton uses stratagemes de guerre as a feminine noun.^[2]
• 1532 – Rabelais writes stratagemates.^[2][3]
• 1564 – The form stratagème appears, in Thierry's dictionary.^[3][4]
• 1566 – Henri Estienne uses it as a masculine noun.^[2]
• 1574 – First record of the general sense “clever trick”.^[4][3]

Meanings

Noun

1. (dated) A ruse of war meant to deceive the enemy.^[2][3][8]
2. A clever, well-planned trick used to reach one's ends or gain an advantage, a stratagem: déjouer un stratagème.^{[9][10][2][8]}

Related words

• stratège
• stratégie
• Ancient Greek στρατηγός (stratēgós)

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b Dictionnaire de français Larousse, larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais (accessed 2024)
9. ^ Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
10. ^ Dictionnaire Le Robert en ligne, dictionnaire.lerobert.com (accessed 2024)