Stratagem

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /ˈstɹæt.É™.dÊ’É™m/

Origin

From Old French stratageme, from Latin strategema, from Ancient Greek στρατήγημα (stratēgēma, "the act of a general, a piece of generalship"), from strategein ("to be a general, command an army"), from στρατηγός (stratēgos, "a general, the leader or commander of an army"); see strategy.

Full definition of stratagem

Noun

1. A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.
• 22 March 2012, Scott Tobias, AV Club The Hunger Gameshttp://www.avclub.com/articles/the-hunger-games,71293/:While Collins does include a love triangle, a coming-of-age story, and other YA-friendly elements in the mix, they serve as a Trojan horse to smuggle readers into a hopeless world where love becomes a stratagem and growing up is a matter of basic survival.

Related terms

• strategic
• strategist
• strategy