machination
/ˌmækɪˈneɪʃən/ noun
Forms machinations
- noun (chiefly in the plural) A clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes.
- noun The act of machinating or plotting.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English machynacion, machynacyon, from Middle French machination and directly Latin māchinātiōnem, from māchinor (“devise, invent”). By surface analysis, machinate + -ion or machine + -ation.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of machinating. Shak.
- noun That which is devised; a device; a hostile or treacherous scheme; an artful design or plot.
Etymology [L. machinatio: cf. F. machination.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “machination”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details