guile
See also: Guile
English
Etymology 1
From Middle English gile, from Anglo-Norman gile, from Old French guile (“deception”)[1], from Frankish *wigila (“ruse”), from Proto-Germanic *wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with wile.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡaɪl/
Audio (UK) (file)
- Rhymes: -aɪl
Noun
guile (countable and uncountable, plural guiles)
- (uncountable) Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of cunning or artful deception.
- 2012 April 24, Phil Dawkes, “Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport:
- It was a result that owed a lot to a moment of guile from Ramires but more to a display of guts from the Brazilian and his team-mates after Terry's needless dismissal eight minutes before half-time for driving a knee into the back of Alexis Sanchez off the ball.
- 2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport:
- Estonia were struggling to get to grips with the game while Ireland were showing a composure and guile that demonstrated their experience in play-off ties.
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- Deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, John 1:47:
- Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!
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Translations
astuteness, cunning
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deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty
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Verb
guile (third-person singular simple present guiles, present participle guiling, simple past and past participle guiled)
- To deceive, beguile, bewile.
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, OCLC 960102938:
- Who means no guile, be guiled soonest shall
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Derived terms
- beguile
- guileful
- guileless
Related terms
- wile
Translations
to deceive, to beguile
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Etymology 2
Variant forms.
Noun
guile
- Obsolete form of gold.
- Alternative form of gyle
References
- T.F. Hoad, Concise Dictionary of English Etymology, →ISBN; headword guile
Old French
Etymology
From Frankish *wigila, from Proto-Germanic *wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”).
Noun
guile f (oblique plural guiles, nominative singular guile, nominative plural guiles)
- trickery; deception
- circa 1176, Chrétien de Troyes, Cligès:
- si se çoile par itel guile
- he hid himself using this deception
- circa 1250, Rutebeuf, Ci encoumence li miracles que nostre Dame fist dou soucretain et d'une dame:
- Moult saveiz bien servir de guile.
- You know very well how to use trickery
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Descendants
- English: guile
References
- Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l'ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IXe au XVe siècle (1881) (guile)