Origin: bef. 1100; (n.) of multiple orig.: in sense “piece of ground,” ME: small area, patch, stain, piece of ground, OE: piece of ground (orig. obscure); in senses “ground plan, outline, map, scheme,” var. (since the 16th century) of
plat 1 , itself partly a var. of ME, OE
plot; sense “secret plan” (from 16th century) by assoc. with
complot, in pejorative sense; (v.) deriv. of the n.

Synonyms:1. intrigue, cabal.
See conspiracy. 9. brew, hatch, frame.
19. Plot, conspire, scheme imply secret, cunning, and often unscrupulous planning to gain one's own ends. To
plot is to contrive a secret plan of a selfish and often treasonable kind:
to plot against someone's life. To
conspire is to unite with others in an illicit or illegal machination:
to conspire to seize a government. To
scheme is to plan ingeniously, subtly, and often craftily for one's own advantage:
to scheme how to gain power.