inveigle

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

Etymology

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman enveugler, alteration of aveugler (“to blind, to delude”), from Old French avogle (“without eyes”), from Late Latin ab oculīs (“without eyes”, literally “away from the eyes”). The in- might be by analogy to variation between a- and en- in other French words, which was then latinised into in-. For the pronunciation with /iː/, compare the development of people; that with /eɪ/ is presumably a spelling pronunciation.

In classic literature

Synonyms

wheedle, cajole, palaver, blarney, coax, sweet-talk

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