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Today's Word "cajole"

To persuade with flattery on

Published in Vocabulary

cajole \kuh-JOHL\ (transitive verb) - To persuade with flattery, repeated appeals, or soothing words; to coax.

"It was his duty to push, prod, and cajole the parties into a settlement." -- John Grisham, 'The Testament'

 

Cajole derives from Early Modern French cajoler, originally, "to chatter like a bird in a cage, to sing; hence, to amuse with idle talk, to flatter," from Old French gaiole, jaiole, "a cage," from Medieval Latin caveola, "a small cage," from Latin cavea, "an enclosure, a den for animals, a bird cage," from cavus, "hollow." It is related to cave, cage and jail (British gaol).


 

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