intrigue

See also: intrigué

English

Alternative forms

• entrigue

Etymology

Borrowed from French intrigue, from Italian intricare, from Latin intrīcō (“I entangle, perplex, embarrass”). Doublet of intricate.

Pronunciation

• (noun) enPR: ĭn'trēg, IPA^(key): /ˈɪntɹiːɡ/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• (verb) enPR: ĭntrēg', IPA^(key): /ɪnˈtɹiːɡ/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -iːɡ

Noun

intrigue (countable and uncountable, plural intrigues)

1. A complicated or clandestine plot or scheme intended to effect some purpose by secret artifice; conspiracy; stratagem.
   • (Can we date this quote by Thomas Carlyle and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     […] lost in such a jungle of intrigues, pettifoggings, treacheries, diplomacies domestic and foreign […]

2. The plot of a play, poem or romance; the series of complications in which a writer involves their imaginary characters.
3. Clandestine intercourse between persons; illicit intimacy; a liaison or affair.
   • 1976, John Harold Wilson, Court Satires of the Restoration (page 245)

     In 1679 and 1680 there were persistent rumors of an intrigue between Mary, Lady Grey, and the Duke of Monmouth.

Translations

plot or scheme

• Bulgarian: интрига (bg) f (intriga), машинация (bg) f (mašinacija)
• Catalan: intriga (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 密謀 (zh), 密谋 (zh) (mìmóu), 陰謀 (zh), 阴谋 (zh) (yīnmóu)

• Danish: intrige c
• Dutch: intrige (nl) f
• Finnish: juoni (fi), salajuoni
• French: intrigue (fr) f
• German: Intrige (de) f
• Hungarian: intrika (hu), ármány (hu), áskálódás (hu), cselszövés (hu)

• Maori: kara
• Persian: دسیسه‎ (fa) (dasise), انتریگ‎ (antrig)
• Polish: intryga (pl) f
• Portuguese: intriga (pt) f
• Russian: интри́га (ru) f (intríga)
• Serbo-Croatian: spletka (sh) f
• Spanish: intriga (es) f
• Swedish: intrig (sv) c
• Tagalog: pungka
• Turkish: entrika (tr)

The plot of a play

• Bulgarian: интрига (bg) f (intriga)

• French: intrigue (fr) f
• Greek: πλοκή (el) f (plokí)

• Polish: fabuła (pl) f
• Spanish: argumento (es) m

Clandestine intercourse

• Bulgarian: тайна любовна връзка f (tajna ljubovna vrǎzka)

Verb

intrigue (third-person singular simple present intrigues, present participle intriguing, simple past and past participle intrigued)

1. (intransitive) To conceive or carry out a secret plan intended to harm; to form a plot or scheme.
2. (transitive) To arouse the interest of; to fascinate.
   • 2012 March 1, Brian Hayes, “Pixels or Perish”, in American Scientist‎^[1], volume 100, number 2, page 106:

     These pictorial devices are indispensable tools for presenting evidence, for explaining a theory, for telling a story. And, on top of all that, they are ornaments; they entice and intrigue and sometimes delight.

3. (intransitive) To have clandestine or illicit intercourse.
4. (transitive) To fill with artifice and duplicity; to complicate.
   • (Can we date this quote by Dr. J. Scott and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     How doth it [sin] perplex and intrigue the whole course of your lives!

Translations

to plan

• Bulgarian: интриганствам (intriganstvam), сплетнича (bg) (spletniča)
• Catalan: intrigar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 搞陰謀, 搞阴谋 (gǎo yīnmóu), 密謀 (zh), 密谋 (zh) (mìmóu)

• Danish: intrigere
• Dutch: intrigeren (nl)
• Esperanto: intrigi
• Finnish: juonitella
• French: intriguer (fr), conspirer (fr)

• German: intrigieren (de)
• Hungarian: intrikál, ármánykodik (hu), áskálódik (hu), cselt sző
• Italian: intrigare (it)
• Maori: whakangārahu
• Portuguese: intrigar (pt)
• Russian: стро́ить ко́зни impf (stróitʹ kózni), замышля́ть (ru) impf (zamyšljátʹ), замы́слить (ru) pf (zamýslitʹ)
• Spanish: intrigar (es)
• Swedish: intrigera (sv)

to arouse interest

• Bulgarian: интригувам (bg) (intriguvam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 引起奇心 (yǐnqǐ qíxīn)

• Dutch: intrigeren (nl)
• Finnish: kiehtoa (fi)
• French: intriguer (fr)
• German: faszinieren (de)

• Persian: شیفته کردن‎ (šifte kardan)
• Portuguese: intrigar (pt)
• Russian: интригова́ть (ru) impf (intrigovátʹ), заинтригова́ть (ru) pf (zaintrigovátʹ), интересова́ть (ru) impf (interesovátʹ), заинтересова́ть (ru) pf (zainteresovátʹ)
• Spanish: intrigar (es)

Related terms

• intricacy
• intricate
• intriguer
• intriguery
• intriguing
• intriguingly

References

• intrigue in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• intrigue in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

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French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛ̃.tʁiɡ/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

intrigue f (plural intrigues)

1. intrigue (all senses)

Verb

intrigue

1. inflection of intriguer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “intrigue” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

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Portuguese

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ĩ.ˈtɾi.ɡi/

Verb

intrigue

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of intrigar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of intrigar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of intrigar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of intrigar

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Spanish

Verb

intrigue

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of intrigar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of intrigar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of intrigar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of intrigar.