Origin: 1275–1325; Middle English contreven < Middle French contreuv-, tonic stem of controver to devise, invent, Old French: to decide, agree upon < Late Latin contropāre to compare, equivalent to con-con- + *tropāre (> French trouver to find; see trover); development of vowel unclear
Related forms
con·triv·a·ble, adjective
con·triv·er, noun
pre·con·trive, verb, -trived, -triv·ing.
un·con·triv·ing, adjective
Synonyms 1. design, concoct. See prepare.3. conspire, scheme. 5. connive.
(tr) to manage (something or to do something), esp by means of a trick; engineer: he contrived to make them meet
2.
(tr) to think up or adapt ingeniously or elaborately: he contrived a new mast for the boat
3.
to plot or scheme (treachery, evil, etc)
[C14: from Old French controver, from Late Latin contropāre to represent by figures of speech, compare, from Latin com- together + tropus figure of speech, trope]
early 14c., from O.Fr. controver "to find out, contrive, imagine," from V.L. contropare "to compare" (via a figure of speech), from L. com- "with" + tropus "song, musical mode," from Gk. tropos "figure of speech" (see trope). Sense evolution (in French) was from "invent with