Conspiracy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kənˈspɪɹəsi/

Definitions

1. A secret plan by a group of people to do something harmful or illegal
2. A plot devised covertly by a group aimed at committing unlawful or damaging acts against individuals or society
3. An arrangement made privately among several individuals to carry out an illegal or harmful act

Etymology: The word "conspiracy" carries a surprisingly literal image at its core: Latin "conspīrāre" meant "to breathe together," built from "con-" (together) and "spīrāre" (to breathe). The sense of joint breathing developed into agreement or harmony of purpose, and only later into the secret, covert plotting we now mean. The Latin noun "cōnspīrātiō" passed into Anglo-Norman as "conspiracie" and then into Middle English, where it kept its older sense of a sworn agreement between people acting together. Over the centuries the emphasis shifted toward the secrecy and harm that make the modern meaning. The ending "-acy" is a suffix in English, and it appears in words like "democracy" and "accuracy," which is why the word looks, on the surface, like a formation from "conspire" plus "-acy."

Synonyms: plot, scheme, collusion, intrigue, connivance

Antonyms: truth, honesty, sincerity, openess, frankness