guile

From Middle English gile, from Anglo-Norman gile, from Old French guile (“deception”)[1], from Frankish *wigila (“ruse”). Cognate via Proto-Germanic with English wile.

• IPA^(key): /ɡaɪl/
• Rhymes: -aɪl

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:

     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:

     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.
   • 'The Bible - King James Version: 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.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Edmund Spenser to this entry?)

• beguile
• guileful
• guileless

• wile

Frankish, see above

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

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

     si se çoile par itel guile

     he hid himself using this deception

   • circa 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)