guile

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From Middle English gile, from Anglo-Norman gile, from Old French guile (“deception”),^[1] from Frankish *wīl (“ruse”), from Proto-Germanic *wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with wile.

• IPA^(key): /ɡaɪl/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪl
• Hyphenation: guile

guile (countable and uncountable, plural guiles)

1. (uncountable) Astuteness often marked by a certain sense of cunning or artful deception.
   • 2012 April 24, Phil Dawkes, “Barcelona 2-2 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport‎^[1]:

     It was a result that owed a lot to a moment of guile from Ramires but more to a display of guts from the Brazilian and his team-mates after Terry's needless dismissal eight minutes before half-time for driving a knee into the back of Alexis Sanchez off the ball.

   • 2011 November 11, Rory Houston, “Estonia 0-4 Republic of Ireland”, in RTE Sport‎^[2]:

     Estonia were struggling to get to grips with the game while Ireland were showing a composure and guile that demonstrated their experience in play-off ties.

2. Deceptiveness, deceit, fraud, duplicity, dishonesty.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, John 1:47:

     Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

guile (third-person singular simple present guiles, present participle guiling, simple past and past participle guiled)

1. To deceive, beguile, bewile.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

     Who means no guile, be guiled soonest shall

• beguile
• guileful
• guileless

• wile

Variant forms.

guile

1. Obsolete form of gold.
2. Alternative form of gyle

From Frankish *wīl, from Proto-Germanic *wīlą, from Proto-Indo-European *wey- (“to turn, bend”).

guile oblique singular, f (oblique plural guiles, nominative singular guile, nominative plural guiles)

1. trickery; deception
   • c. 1176, Chrétien de Troyes, Cligès:

     si se çoile par itel guile

     he hid himself using this deception

   • c. 1250, Rutebeuf, Ci encoumence li miracles que nostre Dame fist dou soucretain et d'une dame:

     Moult saveiz bien servir de guile.

     You know very well how to use trickery

• → English: guile

• Godefroy, Frédéric, Dictionnaire de l’ancienne langue française et de tous ses dialectes du IX^e au XV^e siècle (1881) (guile)