ˈstrad.]ə̇jə̇m, -at], ]ējə̇m also ]əˌjem noun
( -s )
Etymology: Italian stratagemma, from Latin strategema, from Greek stratēgēma, from stratēgein to be a general, maneuver, from stratēgos general, from stratos army, host + -ēgos (from agein to lead) — more at stratum , agent
1.
a. : an artifice or trick in war for deceiving and outwitting the enemy
b. : a cleverly contrived trick or scheme for gaining an end
on our guard against the stratagems of evil rhetoric — R.M.Weaver
c. : skillfulness in the employment of stratagems : ability to devise cunning plans to gain an end
without stratagem , but in plain shock and even play of battle — Shakespeare
2. obsolete : a violent or bloody act
Synonyms: see trick