I. ˈstrad.ə̇jē, -ratə̇-, -ji noun
( -es )
Etymology: Greek stratēgia office of a general, generalship, piece of strategy, from stratēgos general + -ia -y
1.
a.
(1) : the science and art of employing the political, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or group of nations to afford the maximum support to adopted policies in peace or war
(2) : the science and art of military command exercised to meet the enemy in combat under advantageous conditions — compare tactics
b. : a variety of or instance of the use of strategy
the strategy of the counterattack rather than of the offensive — H.W.Baldwin
collective security through a world organization is a strategy of defense like any other — J.T.Shotwell
2.
a. : a careful plan or method or a clever stratagem
vulnerable to one of three merchandising strategies — Vance Packard
drafted the strategy it followed in election campaigns — Current Biography
b. : the art of devising or employing plans or stratagems toward a goal
the clever manager's conception of political strategy — S.H.Adams
II. noun
: an adaptation or complex of adaptations (as of behavior, metabolism, or structure) that serves or appears to serve an important function in achieving evolutionary success
the reproductive strategies of beech and yellow birch — L.K.Forcier