Etymograph

English

stratagem

Stratagem comes from Latin strategema ‘a stratagem’, from Ancient Greek στρατήγημα ‘the act of a general, a piece of generalship’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵeti1‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*ágō1‘to lead, to guide’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄγω1ágō‘to lead, fetch, bring along, take with’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστρατηγός2stratēgós‘a general, the leader or commander of an army’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστρατηγέω2stratēgéō‘to be a general, command an army’
  7. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστρατήγημα2stratḗgēma‘the act of a general, a piece of generalship’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstrategema2‘a stratagem’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400stratageme2
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stratageme2
  11. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588stratagem2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek στρατηγός
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English stratagem
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “His fiery eies are fixt vpon the earth. As…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂eǵ-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek στρατηγόςreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éǵetiWiktionary, Ancient Greek στρατηγός‘to be driving’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*ágōWiktionary, Ancient Greek στρατηγός‘to lead, to guide’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἄγωWiktionary, Ancient Greek στρατηγόςágō‘to lead, fetch, bring along, take with’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστρατηγόςWiktionary, English stratagemstratēgós‘a general, the leader or commander of an army’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστρατηγέωWiktionary, English stratagemstratēgéō‘to be a general, command an army’
  7. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστρατήγημαWiktionary, English stratagemstratḗgēma‘the act of a general, a piece of generalship’
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEstrategemaWiktionary, English stratagem‘a stratagem’
  9. Old Frenchc. 842–1400stratagemeWiktionary, English stratagem
  10. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500stratagemeWiktionary, English stratagem
  11. Englishearliest quotation c. 1587–1588stratagemWiktionary, English stratagem. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1587–1588, Christopher Marlowe, Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […]: “His fiery eies are fixt vpon the earth. As…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ-

reaction, register, suggest, actively, essay, transaction, acre, inactive, radioactive, gesture, congestion, digest, belligerent, unambiguous, agrarian, retroactive, progesterone, hyperactivity, ingestion, reagent, ingest, gestation, ambiguously, samaj, agitate, agger, gerund, gestion, 129 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti ‘to be driving’

act, action, active, activity, actual, actor, agency, agent, agenda, activate, ambiguous, ambiguity, squat, assay, agile, agility, agitation, radium, actuator, cogent, actuation, inexact, exigent, actuate, 112 more

through Proto-Hellenic *ágō ‘to lead, to guide’

agony, antagonist, antagonism, agonist, axiomatic, antagonize, agonize, 23 more

through Ancient Greek ἄγω ‘to lead, fetch, bring along, take with’

axiom, glucagon, 17 more

through Ancient Greek στρατηγός ‘a general, the leader or commander of an army’

strategic, 2 more

Today it means

noun A tactic or artifice designed to gain the upper hand, especially one involving underhanded dealings or deception.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “stratagem”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Ancient Greek στρατηγός. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂eǵ- / stratagem

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