/ ˈstrætədʒəm; NAmE / noun
( formal ) a trick or plan that you use to gain an advantage or to trick an opponent
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WORD ORIGIN
late 15th cent. (originally denoting a military ploy): from French stratagème , via Latin from Greek stratēgēma , from stratēgein be a general, from stratēgos , from stratos army + agein to lead.