embroil

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English

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WOTD – 30 October 2023

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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PIE word
*h₁én

The verb is borrowed from French embrouiller (“to entangle”),[1] from em- (a variant of en- (prefix meaning ‘in; into’)) + brouiller (“to confuse, mix up”) (ultimately from Vulgar Latin *brodiculāre, from *brodicāre, from Late Latin brodium (“broth, stew; mixture”), from Frankish *broþ (“broth”), from Proto-Germanic *bruþą (“stock, broth”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrewh₁- (“to boil; to brew”)).

The noun is derived from the verb.[2]

cognates

Verb

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embroil (third-person singular simple present embroils, present participle embroiling, simple past and past participle embroiled) (transitive)

  1. To bring (something) into a state of confusion or uproar; to complicate, to confuse, to jumble.
  2. To cause (someone) to be drawn into or involved in a difficult situation or state of contention.
    Avoid him. He will embroil you in his fights.
    • 1697, Virgil, “The Seventh Book of the Æneis”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 417, lines 567–570:
      Then vvhen ſhe found her Venom ſpread ſo far, / The Royal Houſe embroil'd in Civil VVar: / Rais'd on her dusky VVings ſhe cleaves the Skies, / And ſeeks the Palace vvhere young Turnus lies.
    • 1741, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XXXI”, in Pamela: Or, Virtue Rewarded. […], 3rd edition, volume I, London: […] C[harles] Rivington, […]; and J. Osborn, […], →OCLC, page 175:
      VVhat, and imbroil myſelf vvith a Man of Mr. B’s Povver and Fortune! No, not I, I’ll aſſure you!
    • 1996, Susan Leigh Foster, “Pygmalion’s No-body and the Body of Dance”, in Elin Diamond, editor, Performance and Cultural Politics, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, →ISBN, part III (Moving/Seeing: Bodies and Technologies), page 132:
      The effects of dance's narrativization continue to reverberate throughout the contemporary world of dance where the opposition between "abstract" and "representational" movement vocabularies embroils choreographers and critics in endless dilemmas concerning dance's significance.
    • 2016 January 31, William D[avid] Cohan, “Is Huma Abedin Hillary Clinton’s Secret Weapon or Her Next Big Problem?”, in Graydon Carter, editor, Vanity Fair‎[1], New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-20:
      Whether it's palatable for the vice-chairman of Hillary [Clinton]'s presidential campaign to be embroiled in allegations of conflicts of interest, obtaining patronage jobs, or misrepresenting time worked remains to be seen.
    • 2020 November 1, Alan Young, “Sean Connery obituary: From delivering milk in Fountainbridge to the definitive James Bond”, in The Scotsman‎[2], Edinburgh: The Scotsman Publications, JPIMedia Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-09-20:
      [Sean] Connery could by now command massive fees and gained a reputation as a ruthless contract negotiator. He hated the idea of being manipulated by the film industry and was regularly embroiled in lawsuits.
    • 2024 July 24, Howard Johnston, “Network News: Autumn verdict on expanding St Pancras capacity”, in RAIL, number 1014, page 22:
      Eurostar, which has had a monopoly from the outset in 1994, is currently embroiled in controversy over its decision not to restart services to Ebbsfleet and Ashford International stations, because of what it claims is a lack of demand.
Conjugation
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Conjugation of embroil
infinitive (to) embroil
present tense past tense
1st-person singular embroil embroiled
2nd-person singular embroil, embroilest† embroiled, embroiledst†
3rd-person singular embroils, embroileth† embroiled
plural embroil
subjunctive embroil embroiled
imperative embroil —
participles embroiling embroiled

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms
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Translations
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Noun

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embroil (plural embroils) (obsolete)

  1. A state of confusion or uproar; a commotion, a disturbance; also, a quarrel.
  2. A state of anxiety or disturbance of the mind.

Etymology 2

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From em- (a variant of en- (intensifying prefix)) + broil (“to expose to great heat; (obsolete) to burn”)[3] (from Late Middle English broilen, brulen (“to burn; to scorch, singe; (cooking) to broil, grill”); [4] further etymology uncertain, possibly from Old French bruler, bruillir, brusler (“to burn”) (modern French brûler), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerw-, *bʰrew- (“to boil; to brew”)).[5]

Verb

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embroil (third-person singular simple present embroils, present participle embroiling, simple past and past participle embroiled)

  1. (transitive, obsolete, rare) To set (something) on fire; to burn (something).
    • 1667, attributed to Richard Allestree, “A Survey of the Causes of Disputes; Secondly, Curiosity”, in The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety. […], London: […] R. Norton for T. Garthwait, […], →OCLC, page 340:
      Indeed if vve vvill be building our Babels, and thus aſſault Omnipotence, 'tis but juſt vve ſhould have our language confounded, and that that knovvledge for vvhich vve boldly attempt to rifle Gods cabinet, ſhould like the Coal from the Altar, ſerve only to embroil and conſume the ſacrilegious invaders.
Derived terms
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References

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  1. ^ “embroil, v.2”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023; “embroil, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  2. ^ “† embroil, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023.
  3. ^ “† embroil, v.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
  4. ^ “broilen, v.(1)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  5. ^ “broil, v.1”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, July 2023; “broil1, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
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