1
Stage 1 of 4
intricare
Latin · ancient
"to entangle, perplex"
in- 'into' plus tricae 'perplexities, tricks'
2
Stage 2 of 4
intrigare
Italian · medieval
"to plot, meddle; perplex"
developed the sense of scheming and secret plotting
3
Stage 3 of 4
intriguer
French · 1500s
"to plot secretly"
borrowed from Italian for underhanded scheming
4
Stage 4 of 4
intrigue
English · 1610s-1714
"to plot secretly; a secret scheme"
entered meaning 'to trick, deceive', then settled into 'to plot or scheme'
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