stratagem

stratagem

English

Etymology

From Middle English stratageme, from Old French stratageme, from Latin strategema, from Ancient Greek στρατήγημα (stratḗgēma, “the act of a general, a piece of generalship”), from στρατηγέω (stratēgéō, “to be a general, command an army”), from στρατηγός (stratēgós, “a general, the leader or commander of an army”). See strategy.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈstɹæt.ə.d͡ʒəm/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

stratagem (countable and uncountable, plural stratagems)

1. A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.
   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], OCLC 21345056, page 265:

     She will not yet be permitted to return to the Manor House: it is too convenient for 'treasons, stratagems,' &c.; and it is as well not to be put in the way of temptation: but she will be allowed perfect liberty in London.

   • 2012 March 22, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Games:

     While Collins does include a love triangle, a coming-of-age story, and other YA-friendly elements in the mix, they serve as a Trojan horse to smuggle readers into a hopeless world where love becomes a stratagem and growing up is a matter of basic survival.

2. Specifically, such a tactic or artifice in military operation.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], part 1, 2nd edition, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, OCLC 932920499; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:

     His fiery eies are fixt vpon the earth.
     As if he now deuiſ’d some Stratageme:
     Or meant to pierce Auernus darkſome vauts.
     To pull the triple headed dog from hell.

3. (uncountable) Military deception or artifice.
4. (uncountable) Cunning and artifice in general.
5. (obsolete) A violent deed.

Related terms

• strategic
• strategist
• strategy

Translations

tactic

Bulgarian: хитрина (bg) f (hitrina), уловка (bg) f (ulovka) Catalan: estratagema (ca) f Chinese: Cantonese: 伎倆 (gei6 loeng5), 計謀 (gai3 mau4), 策略 (caak3 loek6), 花招 (faa1 ziu1), 戰略 (zin3 loek6) Mandarin: 伎倆／伎俩 (zh) (jìliǎng) Dutch: krijgslist (nl) Estonian: sõjakavalus, kavalus Finnish: petos (fi), juoni (fi), salajuoni (fi) French: stratagème (fr) m German: Kriegslist (de) f, Strategem (de) n (elevated), Stratagem n (elevated) Greek: στρατήγημα (el) n (stratígima) Ancient: στρατήγημα n (stratḗgēma) Hungarian: hadicsel (hu) Indonesian: muslihat (id), siasat (id) Italian: stratagemma (it) m, tattica (it) f, schema (it) m Japanese: 計略 (ja) (けいりゃく, keiryaku), 謀略 (ja) (ぼうりゃく, bōryaku), 策略 (ja) (さくりゃく, sakuryaku) Korean: 계략(計略) (gyeryak), 계책(計策) (ko) (gyechaek) Latin: sūtēla f, stratēgēma n Maori: nuka, rauhanga Norwegian: list (no) c, krigslist c Polish: fortel (pl) m, chwyt (pl) m, zagrywka (pl) f Portuguese: estratagema (pt) f, maquinação (pt) f Russian: уло́вка (ru) f (ulóvka), хи́трость (ru) f (xítrostʹ), ухищре́ние (ru) n (uxiščrénije), стратаге́ма (ru) f (stratagéma) Spanish: estratagema (es) f Swedish: krigslist c Thai: ชั้นเชิง (th) (chán-chəəng) Turkish: harp hilesi, savaş hilesi Ukrainian: хитрість (xytristʹ), трюк (trjuk)

Further reading

• stratagem at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Old French

Etymology

From Latin strategema, from Ancient Greek στρατήγημα (stratḗgēma).

Noun

stratagem m (oblique plural stratagens, nominative singular stratagens, nominative plural stratagem)

1. strategy; stratagem