inveigle

verb /ɪnˈveɪɡl̩/

1. To convert, convince, or win over with flattery or wiles.

   transitive

   And he that could with giftes and promiſes, / Inueigle him that lead a thouſand horſe, / And make him falſe his faith vnto his King, / Will quickly win ſuch as be like himſelfe.

2. To obtain through guile or cunning.

   transitive

   He inveigled an introduction to my sister from me.

3. To fool, to delude, to blind in judgement.

   obsolete, transitive

4. To ensnare, to entangle.

   obsolete, transitive

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Anglo-Norman enveugler, alteration of aveugler (“to blind, to delude”), from Old French avogle (“without eyes”), from Late Latin ab oculīs (“without eyes”, literally “away from the eyes”). The in- might be by analogy to variation between a- and en- in other French words, which was then latinised into in-. For the pronunciation with /iː/, compare the development of people; that with /eɪ/ is presumably a spelling pronunciation.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry inveigle (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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