inveigle

Early corruption of French aveugler (“to blind, to delude”), from aveugle (“blind”), from the Old French avugle (“without eyes”), from Latin ab + oculus (“eye”). The in- might be from other a-/en- variations found in Middle English, which was then latinised into in-.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈveɪ.ɡəl/, /ɪnˈviː.ɡəl/

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• Rhymes: -eɪɡəl, -iːɡəl

inveigle (third-person singular simple present inveigles, present participle inveigling, simple past and past participle inveigled)

1. (transitive) To convert, convince, or win over with flattery or wiles.
   • 1835, William Gilmore Simms, The Partisan, Harper, Chapter XVIII, page 218:

     Say he's been misguided by the rebels, and how they've inveigled him, till he's turned rebel himself; and how he's now out with Marion's men, in Major Singleton's squad.

   • 1848, William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, Chapter 19:

     She described with the most vivid minuteness the agonies of the country families whom he had ruined—the sons whom he had plunged into dishonour and poverty—the daughters whom he had inveigled into perdition.

1. (transitive) To obtain through guile or cunning.

• Sometimes confused with inveigh.

• (convert, convince, or win over): entice, induce, put someone up to something