connive

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kneygʷʰ-“to bend, droop”
2. Latin · derived fromcon(n)īvēre“close or screw up the eyes, blink, wink; overlook, turn a blind eye, connive”
3. French · derived fromconniver“to ignore and thus become complicit in wrongdoing”
4. English todayconnive

From French conniver (“to ignore and thus become complicit in wrongdoing”), or directly from its etymon Latin con(n)īvēre (“close or screw up the eyes, blink, wink; overlook, turn a blind eye, connive”) (perhaps alluding to two persons involved in a scheme together winking to each other), from con- (prefix indicating a being or bringing together of several objects) + *nīvēre (related to nictō (“to blink, wink”), from Proto-Indo-European *kneygʷʰ- (“to bend, droop”)).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from mid 17th c. To secretly cooperate with other people in order to commit a crime or other wrongdoing; to collude, to conspire.