verb , noun
■ verb / ɪnˈtriːg; NAmE /
1.
[ often passive ] to make sb very interested and want to know more about sth :
[ vn ]
You've really intrigued me—tell me more!
[also vn that ]
2.
[ v ] intrigue (with sb) (against sb) ( formal ) to secretly plan with other people to harm sb
■ noun / ˈɪntriːg; ɪnˈtriːg/
1.
[ U ] the activity of making secret plans in order to achieve an aim, often by tricking people :
political intrigue
The young heroine steps into a web of intrigue in the academic world.
2.
[ C ] a secret plan or relationship, especially one which involves sb else being tricked :
I soon learnt about all the intrigues and scandals that went on in the little town.
3.
[ U ] the atmosphere of interest and excitement that surrounds sth secret or important
••
WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent. (in the sense deceive, cheat ): from French intrigue plot, intriguer to tangle, to plot, via Italian from Latin intricare , from in- into + tricae tricks, perplexities.Sense 1 of the verb, which was influenced by a later French sense “to puzzle, make curious”, arose in the late 19th cent.