English
conspire
Conspire comes from Latin conspirare, and goes back to spīrō ‘breathe’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspīrō‘breathe’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconspirare
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conspirer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500conspiren
- Englishearliest quotation 1597conspire
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEspīrō‘breathe’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconspirare
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400conspirer
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500conspiren
- Englishearliest quotation 1597conspire
Earliest quotation: 1597, Joseph Hall, (please specify the page): “Angry clouds conspire your overthrow.”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- ‘to blow’
through Latin spīrō ‘breathe’
spirit, respiratory, spree, sprite, expire, aspiration, aspire, esprit, aspirant, 52 more
Today it means
verb To secretly plot or make plans together, often with the intention to bring bad or illegal results; to collude, to connive, to plot.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin spīrō / conspire