Connivances

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of secretly plotting or conspiring to allow something wrong to happen
2. a collective agreement to overlook wrongdoing in order to achieve a mutual benefit
3. a blend of winking at misconduct while appearing to be uninvolved in the unethical behavior

Etymology: Connivances is simply the plural of "connivance," so the story belongs to the singular noun. The noun came into English in the early 18th century, replacing an older form, "connivence," which had appeared in the late 16th century. Both forms trace back to Latin "connīventia," which in turn comes from "connīvēns," meaning "winking." That original picture is the surprising part. The Latin verb "connivēre" combined "con-," meaning "together" or "with," and a root for closing the eyes or blinking. To connive, then, was to half-close the eyes at something one could see perfectly well, pretending not to notice it. The sense of looking away on purpose survives in the modern meaning, where the wrong being permitted is tolerated through deliberate inaction, often in secret. Over the centuries the meaning shifted from the quiet overlooking of a fault toward active complicity. The modern sense, a secret agreement to let something wrong happen, carries the idea of a wink rather than an outright plot, which is why the word often describes a willing silence instead of open wrongdoing.