Etymology

machination

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Today it means: A clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes. Full definition →

First used circa 1473Middle English machynacion, machynacyon ← Middle French machination ← Latin māchinātiōnem
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The story

  1. Latin · derived frommāchinātiōnem
  2. Middle French · derived frommachination
  3. Middle English · inherited frommachynacion, machynacyon
  4. English todaymachination

From Middle English machynacion, machynacyon, from Middle French machination and directly Latin māchinātiōnem, from māchinor (“devise, invent”). By surface analysis, machinate + -ion or machine + -ation.

First known use, by meaning

  • from circa 1473 A clever scheme or artful plot, usually crafted for evil purposes.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.