chicanery

noun

chi·​ca·​nery shi-ˈkān-rē How to pronounce chicanery (audio)
-ˈkā-nə-,
chi-
plural chicaneries
1
: deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry : trickery
He wasn't above using chicanery to win votes.
2
: a piece of sharp practice (as at law) : trick
resorted to political chicaneries
financial chicaneries

Did you know?

Chicanery Has Roots in French

We have hardly any words that do so fully expresse the French clinquant, naiveté … chicaneries. So lamented English writer John Evelyn in a letter to Sir Peter Wyche in 1665. Evelyn and Wyche were members of a group called the Royal Society, which had formed a committee emulating the French Academy for the purpose of "improving the English language." We can surmise that, in Evelyn's estimation, the addition of chicanery to English from French was an improvement. What he apparently didn't realize was that English speakers had adopted the word from the French chicanerie before he wished for it; the term appears in English manuscripts dating from 1609. Similarly, clinquant ("glittering with gold or tinsel") dates from 1591. Naïveté, on the other hand, waited until 1673 to appear.

Examples of chicanery in a Sentence

He wasn't above using chicanery to win votes. that candidate only won the election through chicanery
Recent Examples on the Web The exhibition both celebrates and deconstructs Pop – the artistic movement that reframed everything from comics to product packaging as high art in a mashup of Dada, Surrealism and, some would say, chicanery. Christian House, CNN, 18 Mar. 2024 Specter is also known for working legal miracles, though whether that's more due to his charm or chicanery is impossible to tell. Chris Snellgrove, EW.com, 16 Aug. 2023 See all Example Sentences for chicanery 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chicanery.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French chicanerie "quibbling on minor points of law brought up to complicate a judicial case," going back to Middle French chiquanerie, from chicaner "to dispute by means of quibbles," earlier "to sue, prosecute" + -erie -ery — more at chicane entry 1

Note: Randle Cotgrave's French-English dictionary (1611) defines chicanerie as "wrangling, pettifogging; litigious, or craftie pleading; the perplexing of a cause with trickes; or the pestering thereof with (subtile, but) impertinent words."

First Known Use

1589, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chicanery was in 1589

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Cite this Entry

“Chicanery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chicanery. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chicanery

noun
chi·​ca·​nery shik-ˈān-(ə-)rē How to pronounce chicanery (audio)
plural chicaneries
: clever trickery

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