cabal
Use Cabal in a sentence
noun
1.
a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority.
2.
the plots and schemes of such a group; intrigue.
3.
a clique, as in artistic, literary, or theatrical circles.
verb (used without object)
4.
to form a cabal; intrigue; conspire; plot.
Related forms
ca·bal·ler, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To cabal
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Cabal
is a GRE word you need to know.
So is arcane. Does it mean:
| to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute |
| known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric: |
Collins
World English Dictionary
cabal (kəˈbæl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a small group of intriguers, esp one formed for political purposes |
| 2. | a secret plot, esp a political one; conspiracy; intrigue |
| 3. | a secret or exclusive set of people; clique |
| —vb , -bals, -balling, -balled | |
| 4. | to form a cabal; conspire; plot |
| [C17: from French cabale, from Medieval Latin cabala; see | |
| Cabal (kəˈbæl) | |
| —n | |
| English history the Cabal a group of ministers of Charles II that governed from 1667--73: consisting of Clifford, Ashley, Buckingham, Arlington, and Lauderdale | |
| [see | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
cabal
1520s, "mystical interpretation of the Old Testament," later "society, small group meeting privately" (1660s), from Fr. cabal, in both senses, from M.L. cabbala (see cabbala). Popularized in English 1673 as an acronym for five intriguing ministers of Charles II (Clifford,
Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale), which gave the word its sinister connotations.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
cabal
a private organization or party engaged in secret intrigues; also, the intrigues themselves. In England the word was used during the 17th century to describe any secret or extralegal council of the king, especially the foreign committee of the Privy Council. The term took on its present invidious meaning from a group of five ministers chosen in 1667 by King Charles II (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley Cooper [later earl of Shaftesbury], and Lauderdale), whose initial letters coincidentally spelled cabal. This cabal, never very unified in its members' aims and sympathies, fell apart by 1672; Shaftesbury even became one of Charles II's fiercest opponents.
Learn more about cabal with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Minority diners occasionally encounter bad seating and frosty treatment, but a racist cabal does not appear at work.
Moreover, he has the habit of craving entry to every club and cabal he can find.
Theories about the tightly knit neocon cabal came in waves.
There always seems to be another warehouse or wharf to explore and another cabal of crazies waiting for you.
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