connive

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[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Circa 1600, from French conniver, from Latin connīveō (wink), or directly from Latin, from com- (together) + base akin to nictō (I wink), from Proto-Indo-European *knei-gwh- (to bend).[1] See also English nictate (to wink), from same Latin base.

Sense comes from extension of “to wink” into “to wink (at a crime), to be privy”.

[edit] Verb

connive (third-person singular simple present connives, present participle conniving, simple past and past participle connived)

  1. to cooperate with others secretly in order to commit a crime; to collude
  2. to plot or scheme
  3. to pretend to be ignorant of something in order to escape blame
  4. to be a wench

[edit] Translations

[edit] References

  1. ^connive” in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001

[edit] Latin

[edit] Verb

connīvē

  1. second-person singular present active imperative of connīveō
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